Back Of My Hand
by Kribu
Summary: Valkyrie has trouble finding the perfect man. She needs her reflection and China to tell her who he is. Set after Death Bringer, spoilers for Death Bringer. Valduggery, obviously, but also some past China/Skulduggery. ABANDONED.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I have only a vague idea where this is going ... well, apart from that it's going to be Skul/Val, which will probably be pretty obvious quite early on. Not sure yet if the rating will go up or not ... depends how I will feel about it, I guess. (Posting a WIP is strange. I've never done that before. I'm hoping this will make sure I will actually keep writing, as I've been having writing doubts lately and felt rather blocked.)

Post-Death Bringer, includes spoilers for Death Bringer.

Disclaimer: I am not Derek Landy. Nothing you recognise is mine. I don't make any money from this and I don't own these wonderful characters. Not even Skulduggery. Which is a pity, because I'd love to own Skulduggery, and ... well, yes, as this isn't M-rated yet, I can't really say here what I'd like to do with Skulduggery.

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><p>Valkyrie cradled the phone in her hand. Two missed calls from Hansard. And now a text from him, asking her why she hadn't got back to him yet.<p>

A party. Again. Valkyrie sighed. She was … well, not exactly tired of parties, but they were getting a little tedious. And she really didn't want to miss out on yet another evening of training with Skulduggery.

The reflection, who had been busy tidying the room, stopped and looked at her.

'I don't know why you just won't tell him you don't want to see him anymore,' it said.

'But I do want to see him.'

The reflection snorted. Valkyrie frowned. That was new, but then, the reflection was constantly doing new things these days.

'I do,' Valkyrie insisted. 'Hansard is…'

'He's nice. And pretty. And fun to be with,' the reflection finished for her. 'I know. I remember. And that thing he does with his tongue – that is nice.'

Valkyrie blushed. As often as she reminded herself that the reflection _was_ her, it was still embarrassing to think that it _knew_ all that stuff about her.

'See?' she said, trying to sound as nonchalant as she could. 'Of course I want to keep seeing him.'

The reflection shrugged. 'Suit yourself. You're very good at lying to yourself, by the way.'

Valkyrie looked at the phone again. The reflection wasn't making any sense. Was it? She should really ring Hansard and tell him that of course she was up for that party tonight. Parties were fun. Hansard was fun, especially away from his horrible father. Smoochies with Hansard were _definitely_ fun, and she did like that thing he did with his tongue… So why was she so reluctant?

'Why do you think that I want to break up with Hansard?' she asked the reflection.

The reflection shrugged. 'I don't know why, I just know that you do. If you don't know the reason, how could I know it? I suppose it's because he's not Skulduggery.'

'That's just silly.' Valkyrie rolled her eyes at the reflection. 'He doesn't have to be.'

xXx

She took a deep breath and focused on the window above her. Maybe she shouldn't have had that third drink at the party. Or the fourth. Clearing the distance between the ground and the window of her room had become so easy that she hadn't considered what being a bit tipsy – okay, a bit more than a bit – would do to her command of the elements.

She pushed herself up, feeling for the spaces where everything connected, and managed to scramble onto the ledge. Not exactly graceful or completely silent (thank God that her parents were sound sleepers!), but it was better than failing and tumbling back down on the ground. At least the reflection had remembered not to close the window. It had done it once, and that was not an experience she cared to repeat.

As she undressed and climbed under the covers, her earlier conversation with the reflection came back to her. Not surprising, as it had been in the back of her mind all evening.

The party had been okay. And Hansard was a great kisser. And yet…

Valkyrie groaned. This was something she'd have to think about in the morning, with a clear head. Clearer head. Whatever. But she had a niggling feeling that she knew what decision she would come to.

She'd have to tell Hansard. As kindly and tactfully as she could – he was a nice boy, really, and she still remembered, far too well, the mess she'd made of it when breaking up with Fletcher. He'd be hurt, and confused, but she couldn't really help that. It simply wouldn't work out – it wasn't working, hadn't been for a few months now. There was something missing.

It wasn't that Hansard was not Skulduggery. Valkyrie snorted into the pillow. That was such a ridiculous idea. The reflection was out of her mind. Another weird malfunction, probably.

After all, she didn't want Skulduggery like _that_. Definitely not.

xXx

'I heard that you broke up with Hansard.'

There was a pebble on the ground. Valkyrie gave it a small push with the toe of her boot. The pebble rolled forward, teetered on the edge of the pier for a moment, and splashed into the sea.

'Yup.'

'Ah. Do you want to talk about it?'

Valkyrie raised her head. She'd been avoiding meeting his gaze all day, sneaking a glance at him instead every time she figured he was looking somewhere else.

'Not particularly.'

Skulduggery nodded. 'Fair enough.'

She pushed her hands deeper into her pockets. Skulduggery was looking at her, his head tilted at an angle she couldn't quite decipher.

There was something different about him. Not that she could tell what it was. He was still the same old Skulduggery – tall, thin, broad-shouldered, impeccably dressed (a dark blue three-piece suit this time; she had to admit that she liked the way waistcoats looked on him), hat at a jaunty angle, gloved hands, grin fixed firmly in place, voice as smooth and warm as velvet.

They stood quietly for a few moments. He was still looking at her, his skull glittering in the sunlight. The angle of the shadows made his cheekbones more prominent than usual.

He broke the silence first. 'Do you need a hug?'

She shrugged awkwardly, fighting a blush that was threatening to come up. 'Well, not _need_ one, but… If you're offering.' This was ridiculous. Why was he even asking?

It felt so good, having his arms around her. It always had, but she'd never really understood how much comfort she drew from him – had never put it into words, anyway.

She moved in a little closer and buried her nose in the jacket covering his bony shoulder, inhaling deeply. He smelled of starch and gunpowder, with a hint of lavender, probably to keep moths away. The thought made her grin.

His hands were gentle on her back, his fingers slightly spread. Unbidden, a thought rose into her mind, an image of those fingers caressing her back without layers of protective fabric between them, and she pulled away hastily, her cheeks flushed.

'Are you okay?'

'Yeah. Just fine.'

He tilted his head. 'Well, if you're sure…'

'I'm sure. Didn't we have work to do?'

'Work? No, not that I know of.'

'Oh. Training then? I really feel like giving someone a good kicking…'

Skulduggery nodded. 'I know the feeling. Nothing like punching someone in the face, on days like this. Unfortunately, seeing as you'll be training with me, I shall be the one doing most of the punching, but I dare say it will be fun.'

Valkyrie snorted. 'Yeah. You know, one of these days I'm going to kick your bony arse.'

'You're more than welcome to try.'

She could hear the smile in his voice and laughed as he opened the Bentley's door for her. 'I will. Oh, believe me, I will.'

xXx

She tossed and turned in bed restlessly that night, in spite of her body being exhausted and still aching from the training. At least she'd got quite a few kicks and punches in as well this time, and she was pretty certain that Skulduggery hadn't gone easy on her. He didn't do that, not any more.

Skulduggery.

It was almost indecent to have so much fun when being kicked and punched and beaten by him, wasn't it? But she enjoyed it. She did.

Damn it.

At least she didn't enjoy it quite as much as Darquesse had enjoyed her fight with Lord Vile. Now _that_ was a thought that made Valkyrie blush. At least _she_ didn't actually get off on it.

God, that would be so embarrassing. Skulduggery would know. He always seemed to know everything.

… Oh God. Did that mean… Did he know Darquesse…? She tried to think back to that night; it had been nearly a year now, and some of what she'd done as Darquesse was a bit fuzzy in her mind, but she was almost sure that Skulduggery had been in control of Vile for a while before the fight was over.

She winced. Yep. He probably knew.

She twisted and turned around again, trying to find a cooler spot on the pillow and failing. Sleep would be so welcome now, before her thoughts ran away in some really odd direction that she wasn't anywhere close to ready to explore yet.

Damn that reflection! If it hadn't been for the reflection, and that carelessly – or deliberately? For someone that was supposed to be a copy of her, the reflection and its thoughts and actions were an impenetrable mystery to Valkyrie – dropped mention of Skulduggery and how she'd never be happy with anyone who wasn't him…

She'd never thought of him in that way before. Never. Not even back when she was fourteen and had a crush on him – yes, Davina Marr, as horrible as she was, had been right about that; not that she'd have given her the satisfaction of admitting to it – well, it hadn't been _that_ sort of crush. No, _that_ was the sort of crush she'd had on Fletcher. And Erskine Ravel, possibly. For a while anyway. He _was_ terribly good-looking, after all, if ancient.

No, the crush she'd had on Skulduggery then was the sort of crush that fourteen-year-old girls have on their older mentor figures. The sort of crush that _didn't_ involve imagining his long, graceful, flexible, skilled, experienced fingers on her—

She snarled and pulled her hand back from where it had been crawling, quite of its own volition. This was getting _so_ ridiculous. She had to get some sleep. In the morning, she would think back at this and laugh at herself, for being so silly.

xXx

When she climbed into her room after another day well spent on training and lounging around in Skulduggery's house – he'd insisted on watching some horrible old black-and-white movie with her after teaching her some new moves that left her pleasantly achy all over again – the reflection raised its eyes from the maths homework it was doing.

'So, did you finally tell him?' it asked.

Valkyrie dropped her coat on the floor and concentrated on pulling off the tunic. 'Tell who what?'

'Skulduggery. That you want him.'

'What?'

The reflection sighed. 'We both know what you've been doing in bed every night for the last two weeks.'

Valkyrie shook her head. 'Look, I know that you're me, sort of, and I know that you know these things, but could you please not talk to me about this? Some things are meant to remain private! I'd like to pretend so, at least.'

The reflection shrugged. 'Whatever. I'd like to know what he's like in bed, though, so it would be nice if you didn't put it off much longer.'

'What?'

The reflection rolled its eyes and turned back to the homework.

'You're so gross.'

The reflection didn't look up from the notes. 'I'm only reflecting your curiosity, remember. Besides, remember those visions? You might be dead in a year. Why not spend that time with the one man you don't need to lie to all the time?'

'I don't even know if he likes me that way! I don't know if he likes anyone that way. If he _can_ like anyone that way.'

'I'd think so. But you can always ask someone, can't you?'

'Like who? I'm not going to ask Ghastly!' Valkyrie shuddered. No way. She was still only starting to come to terms with accepting that yes, maybe, just _maybe_ she was a tiny – a very tiny – bit attracted to Skulduggery, or at the very least curious about that possibility, but she was _not _ready to talk to his friends about it. Least of all Ghastly, who would be certain to disapprove. Probably.

'What about China?'

'China?'

'Yes, China. She'd know.'

Valkyrie considered this. She'd seen China only a few times since the day her secret was revealed and the library destroyed. She missed her at times, but… It was hard for her to get over the fact that China, whom she'd started to consider a friend, had been so instrumental in getting Skulduggery's family murdered. Even though it wasn't really all that much different, or worse, than the things Skulduggery himself had done, and she'd made up with him easily enough.

They were still on speaking terms, though, and she'd visited China a couple of times in her countryside hideaway where she spent most of her time. China had hidden it well, but she could tell both times how eager – how hungry – she had been for company.

Perhaps it was time to pay China another visit. She'd enjoyed girl talk with her. And with Tanith still gone…

xXx

'Valkyrie! What a lovely surprise. Do come in.'

China looked as gorgeous as always, although there was a certain tiredness about her. Even her clothes, finely tailored as they were, looked a little rumpled. And from the slight mess about the living room – even China's messes managed to look alluring, somehow – Valkyrie guessed that she hadn't expected visitors. Or that she didn't get too many these days.

She felt a little guilty. China had been a friend to her. And in spite of everything, once she had chosen her name, China had always proved herself trustworthy. She'd never let her down, anyway, no matter what she'd done in her past.

And she really wasn't in the position to judge China. Not with her own secrets, and not with knowing enough of Skulduggery's past, now.

Valkyrie realised the irony. Here she was, still finding it hard to forgive China for what she'd done centuries ago, and yet she was eager to talk to her about Skulduggery's love life, of all things. Something she wouldn't even be in a position to consider, were Skulduggery's family still alive. In fact – if something did eventually happen between her and Skulduggery… in an odd, and extremely creepy way, would she owe China?

'Tea?'

'Oh. Yes, thanks.'

China poured tea into two delicate cups and handed one to Valkyrie.

'It's lovely to see you again, dear.' She smiled, and Valkyrie swallowed, suddenly feeling clumsy and average and not at all beautiful, before she managed to shake it off. 'Now, as much as I'd like to believe that you're here because you've missed my company, I'm quite sure you had a better reason than that for coming all this way.'

'Uh.' Valkyrie took a careful sip of the tea, determined that it needed more sugar and busied herself with that for a moment. 'Well. I have missed you, actually, so I suppose it's sort of a… what do you call it, a social call?'

China raised a beautifully sculpted eyebrow. 'I see.'

Valkyrie took another sip. Better.

'Well… Actually, there was something I was wondering about. And I didn't know who else to turn to.'

'I'm afraid I've been quite out of the loop lately.' China took a sip from her own cup. 'So if it's current affairs that interest you, I'm afraid you and… You will need to ask someone else.'

Valkyrie hesitated. Suddenly, this whole idea didn't seem so good. Still, she'd come all the way out here, and she had a few hours until the next bus back home.

'It's not really current affairs. It's, um, personal stuff.'

China raised an eyebrow. 'Girl talk?'

'Sort of, yes.'

'Do tell.'

Valkyrie squirmed in her seat. 'There's not all that much to tell at the moment. There was someone, but I broke it off with him a few weeks ago.'

China nodded. 'Hansard Kray. Oh, don't look so surprised – I do still hear some things!'

Valkyrie gave her a half-smile. 'Yeah. Anyway, it sort of occurred to me, that maybe I'm just wasting my time with all those boys…'

'…and you'd rather turn to girls?' China tilted her head, her smile playful.

Valkyrie gulped and squeezed her eyes shut. She did not – _not!_ – need to get her already confusing feelings even more confusing. Which meant no looking at China, not when she was turning the charm on even more so than usual.

'Uh, no.'

'Pity.'

Valkyrie risked opening her eyes again and saw, to her relief, that China had reverted to her normal, if still far too alluring self.

'Anyway, if it's not boys you're interested in…'

'There is someone.' Valkyrie twisted the cup in her hands. 'The problem is that I don't know if he's interested. If he's interested in this sort of thing at all, that is. In, um, women. And relationships. I mean, I know – I think anyway – that if he was, he would be interested in women, but…'

China sighed. 'Skulduggery.'

Valkyrie looked up. 'How did you know?'

'I've been waiting for that to happen.' China smiled, a little sadly. 'To answer your question, yes. Go for it. It's not going to be easy to convince him, but he's worth the effort. Take it from someone who knows.'

'You— You and Skulduggery…?'

'Oh yes.'

'Oh.'

The playful smile was back, although a bit more like a smirk this time. 'I've had my choice of lovers through the centuries – with my gift, I've always been able to get anyone I wanted, and there was a time I was greedy – and I can honestly say that Skulduggery Pleasant was one of the very best. There is something to be said for a man who is far more interested in giving than in receiving, you know.'

Valkyrie's cheeks were burning, but if they were already discussing this… 'Uh, but… I mean, he's, you know…'

'A skeleton?' China laughed. 'Yes, he is. But he's also a man, and he has hands, and there are toys – oh, don't blush, Valkyrie, you're more than old enough for this! In any case, we had a passionate affair, on and off, over a period of time in the nineteenth century – that was when I'd already given up on the Faceless Ones, of course, but he still had a war to fight, so we had to make do with snatching the moments we had.'

'But… he told me, before I first met you, to never trust you.'

China's smile faded. 'He had his reasons. And he was right, of course.'

'I just… Since I've known you, you seemed to get on well again, though. I mean, until…'

'Until last year, yes.' China stood up. 'More tea? I could certainly use another cup.'

Valkyrie followed her to the large, airy, tastefully furnished kitchen. 'Thanks.'

China put the kettle on. 'We did get on well again for a few years. Very well, in fact.'

There was something in the way she said that… 'Oh.'

'Yes.'

'I never knew.'

'You weren't supposed to know. He's a gentleman, you know. We were discreet.'

Valkyrie hesitated. 'Did you… Do you love him?'

'Now that is a complicated question.'

Valkyrie shrugged. 'I know. You don't need to answer, if you don't want to.'

'But you'd like to know.'

'Well, yes.'

China poured out the tea. 'Here you go. As I said, it's a complicated question, and I'm not used to giving honest answers to complicated questions, so allow me a moment to gather my thoughts.'


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Quite unbetad, any and all mistakes are mine. All mine! I need to own something here, you know? Because I certainly don't own the characters or settings.

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><p>Valkyrie sat down in a large, deceptively soft-looking armchair, which was covered in floral-patterned chintz. It looked oddly out of place in China's elegant living room.<p>

'It's one of the few possessions I have left that I've owned for more than a century,' China said with a slight smile. 'The family who owned the set… let's just say there came a time when they didn't need it any longer, so I took the liberty of giving it a new home.'

Valkyrie shifted. The ring on her finger felt colder all of a sudden.

'Oh, don't worry. No one died in that chair.' There was amusement in China's voice. 'Not by my hand, anyway. The mess would have left it quite unusable. A biscuit?'

'Thanks.'

China nibbled delicately on her own. 'Now then. Skulduggery. Did I love him? I don't really know. There was certainly something; something that went beyond mere curiosity and lust, but… Skulduggery is an interesting man. I don't know how well you know him, or how well you think you know him, but I'm sure I've told you before that there is a dangerous side to him. A darker side. I saw it, in the war.'

Valkyrie swallowed. 'Yeah. I know. He's, um, told me a bit about his past. And I've seen some glimpses of that side of him.'

'Has he?' China looked interested. 'I thought he was always rather careful to show himself to you in the best light possible. I suppose he's realised that you're old enough and have seen enough that it wouldn't matter.'

Valkyrie shrugged, not wanting to go into details. 'Something like that, I guess.'

'There is something very attractive about a man who has that dangerous edge, isn't it?' China smiled. 'Skulduggery is a combination of many things I find attractive – he's dangerous, witty, funny, a natural-born leader. And I remember him from when he was still alive. He was a very good-looking man, you know. He was an enemy, but he intrigued me, even then.'

'Is that why you…?'

'Why I helped to destroy his family?'

'Yeah.'

'Oh, no. That was pure business. Intriguing or not, he _was_ the enemy. Besides, it was fun. I hope you will never know this, but it's intoxicating, that feeling of power, hurting people, extinguishing their lives as if they were mere insects. At the time, it was what I lived for – I enjoyed it, every bit of it.'

Something stirred in the back of Valkyrie's mind. A sense of interest. A desire to be let out. She closed her eyes for a moment and forced it back.

'For what it's worth, I've regretted my part in that particular act of business.' China's voice grew serious. 'It's what complicated my feelings and my relationship with Skulduggery, certainly. I could never allow myself to open up to him completely, even had I wanted to. Without that… Yes, I think I could have loved him.'

Valkyrie hesitated. 'Did he love you?'

'No. Never. I think he may have been in love with me for a while – almost everyone is, after all, although with him, I think that some of it was also genuine, and quite possibly for the same reasons why he appealed to me. But that was then, and even then, he knew better than to trust me enough to take it further. These last few years, when our liaison was rekindled… I did think, at first, that there might be a chance for something more, but… I suspect any feelings that there may have been were entirely one-sided.'

'Oh. I'm… I'm sorry.'

'Don't be. I may have hoped for more, but I never expected it. Both because of what I'd done and because of you.'

'Me?'

'Yes, you. The two of you… You were meant to find each other. Much as your world has revolved around Skulduggery since you first met him, his world has been revolving more and more around you. I knew that it would only be a matter of time – once you'd changed from a child into a young woman, he'd only have eyes for you. Figuratively speaking of course.' China's smile was brittle. 'Now, I did think this wouldn't happen for another few years and that I'd have some more time with him, but what with Eliza catching up with me last year… And you've grown up fast; faster than I expected.'

'So you're saying… You think he's, uh, interested in me?'

'I'm quite sure he is. Although you're still very young, which may complicate matters.'

'I'm almost eighteen. And I've had boyfriends.'

'And he's four hundred and twenty something.'

'I know. And ordinarily, this would freak me out a bit. I mean, Caelan was hundred and that seriously bothered me at times. But with Skulduggery, it doesn't seem to matter as much, somehow.'

'To you. It may matter to him. Not enough to make it impossible, perhaps, but he's not going to make this easy for you. Or for himself.' China looked at Valkyrie. 'Just how serious are you about this? About Skulduggery?'

Valkyrie shrugged. 'To be honest, I don't really know yet. It's still such a new idea. I've, well, I've never really thought about him like this before, you know? He's been my best friend and partner since I was twelve. It actually took my reflection to point it out to me, if you can believe that.'

'Your reflection?'

'Yeah. It's been getting more and more independent lately. Anyway, it told me that I've been looking the wrong way and that it's obvious Skulduggery's the man for me. So that got me thinking about it, and… I mean, it was _weird_ to think about it, at first, but now… it doesn't feel so far-fetched any more. I think the reflection's actually on to something.'

'When you think about Skulduggery, do you see him as a man or as a skeleton?'

'Um… A man, I guess. I mean, I know he's a skeleton, but it's usually not the way I think about him. Except now that I've been wondering if it was possible, for me and him, you know… it's something that has crossed my mind.'

China nodded. 'I'm asking because it's important. You may have noticed that Skulduggery generally has a rather high opinion of himself, but... Some of that is real. A lot of it is, really. But he has his insecurities, and over the centuries, there have been women who've been interested in him because of what he is, not who he is. He may be a skeleton, and he's more than aware of that, but he's still also a man, and in these matters… It would help if he didn't think you were simply curious about what it would be like to bed a skeleton.'

Valkyrie winced. 'Yeah, I can see that. No, it's not that. It's just… I am serious about this, I think, but as I said, it's still such a new idea. And I guess I'm also a bit worried what it might do to our relationship. What if he turns me down? Or what if he doesn't, and we give it a try, and then it doesn't work out? I couldn't bear to lose what we have now.'

'There's always that risk.'

'I guess I need to make up my mind.' Valkyrie sighed. 'I almost wish I could go back to being oblivious, but now that I'm already thinking about it… It's already changing things between us. Every time we touch, or when he hugs me, or puts his arm around me, or we train – it's different. And he _understands_ me, and what I do, and what I am like.' She stopped, not wanting to say more.

'There's a bond between you that's stronger than anything you could have with anyone else.'

'Yes.'

'Go for it, Valkyrie.' China gave her a dazzling smile and got up, starting to clear the teacups away. 'It's a risk, yes. But I have to agree with your reflection; there aren't many men around who would be better suited for you. Of course there are many beautiful boys who would love to be with you, and for having some temporary fun, any of them would do. But it's not what you want, is it?'

'Not any more, I guess. I thought it was, at least for a few more years – just to have fun, play the field, enjoy being a normal teenager. But it's got boring. It's fun at first, but there's a part of me that just doesn't seem to be satisfied with that.'

'It's a part of growing up. For some people, at least.'

'I guess so. It's a bit scary, really.'

'It's more fun when you're grown up.' China paused. 'Now, I have a horse I need to see to, so unless you'd care to join me…?'

Valkyrie got up. 'No, thanks. Maybe some other time.'

'I'd love that. I hope to see you again soon.'

'Yeah. It was good to talk to you. Thanks.'

China smiled. 'Good-bye – and good luck. Do keep me informed of any progress.'

'Thanks.'

xXx

It was only when Valkyrie reached the bus stop that she realised she'd just missed a bus. The next one was an hour away. She sighed, wishing Fletcher was still around. Or that she could ring Skulduggery and ask him to pick her up, but she didn't fancy explaining him why she'd been to see China.

At least it wasn't raining. And she could use some exercise.

Jogging to the next stop it was, then. It was only some five kilometres or so, she figured, and would cut down on the time she'd have to stand around waiting.

xXx

Valkyrie was so focused on her run that she didn't even notice the dark shape cutting her off and tackling her until they were both rolling in the high grass next to the roadside, punching and kicking. She was just thankful her training and instincts had taken over before the conscious part of her brain had managed to react.

She moved her head away a fraction before a familiar-looking fist would have landed in her face. Jumping to her feet, she drove a hard kick into her assailant's side, following it with several punches. Hard and fast and ugly, just as she'd been trained to do.

'Ooh, little Val's learned to fight!'

She froze, her brain finally catching up. She knew that voice. She knew that face.

'Tanith.'

'Thought I'd drop by for a quick visit.'

Valkyrie took a few steps back, keeping a careful eye on her remnant-possessed friend. Tanith was crouching on the ground, her dark lips twisted in an amused grin. Her sword was hanging at her side; she hadn't bothered to draw it.

'How did I know where I was?'

Tanith stood up and shrugged. 'Followed you here earlier. Then just waited.'

'Where's the psycho boyfriend?'

'Aww, don't call him that.'

'What, your boyfriend?'

Tanith rolled her eyes. 'Billy-Ray is a lovely bloke, really. He's a lot of fun to be with. And he's… over there, somewhere.' She made a sweeping motion with her arm, pointing towards the fields.

'What are you doing back in Ireland?'

'Got a bit tired of all the travelling. Europe's great, but you know, my friends are all here.'

'You don't have any friends here.'

It hurt more than she'd known, standing there, facing Tanith again, and telling her that. No – not Tanith. This _thing_, wearing Tanith's face and Tanith's body.

At least it was her that she'd searched out. Not Ghastly. Valkyrie hoped that Ghastly wouldn't have to see Tanith like that.

Tanith grinned. 'Just give up, Val. Don't you ever just want to let loose and have some fun? Some real fun? I know what's inside you – doesn't she ever want to get out? Think about it – you, me, Billy-Ray… the fun we could have!'

'You're sick.'

'At least I'm honest. Speaking of having fun, how's things with you and Skully? Have you jumped his bones yet or are you still pretending you're not interested?'

Valkyrie felt her cheeks flush. 'Shut up.'

'Ooh! I knew it!'

'You have no idea what you're talking about.'

'Just keep telling yourself that, Val. Just keep telling yourself that.'

'Why does everyone assume I want to have sex with Skulduggery anyway? He's my friend! And my partner. And he's old. And we don't have that sort of relationship.'

'But you want to, don't you?'

Valkyrie shook her head. 'Go away. If you think you're getting to me – if you think I'm letting you get to me – then you're so wrong. And you're not Tanith, so don't pretend you know anything about me or what I want. And I certainly don't want to have the sort of _fun_ you and Sanguine are up to.'

Tanith's grin spread even wider. 'We'll see about that, won't we? Anyway, as you seem to be still stuck in boring mode, I'll be off. For now. Don't worry; I'll be dropping by again. Your true nature will want to get out sooner or later, and I'm putting my money on it being sooner.'

'I hope you realise that if I let Darquesse take over, she'll squash you like a bug.'

'It's a risk we'll have to take, then.'

'You're insane. And you know – we _will_ get Tanith back. Some day. So enjoy it while you can, because it's not going to last forever.'

Tanith rolled her eyes. 'Whatever. Anyway, I have a hot date waiting for me – Billy-Ray's got an assignment to take someone out somewhere in France, so we'll be off now. See you around, little sis!'

Valkyrie wanted to stop her – to take her back with her, back to the Sanctuary, where she could be kept until a cure was found – but she knew it would be pointless even to try. Tanith, even when she wasn't trying very hard to hurt her, was still stronger and faster and more experienced, and even if she managed to take Tanith down, with Sanguine somewhere nearby and no Fletcher to ring, she had no chance of keeping her until she could get someone to pick them up.

So she just stood and fumed quietly, watching Tanith run across the field, until she'd disappeared into the small copse of trees on the other side.

She turned and closed her eyes for a moment, working hard to suppress the rage Tanith's appearance and words had stirred in her.

When she opened her eyes again, the bus – the one she had hoped to catch – zoomed past her.

'Damn.'

She took out her phone and checked the schedule online. Two hours until the next bus, and she was still in the middle of nowhere. Sighing deeply, and deciding that there wasn't really anything else to do, she dialled Skulduggery's number.

xXx

She'd only been waiting for half an hour when the Bentley drew up next to where she was sitting on the road.

'An interesting way to spend the day,' Skulduggery commented as she climbed into the front seat and fastened the seat belt.

'Well, you know me. Just felt like some fresh countryside air.'

'And it's a complete coincidence that you happened to feel like it so close to where China lives these days.'

'Absolutely. Amazing, really.'

They drove on in silence for a few minutes, until Skulduggery turned his head to look at her. 'Are you okay? You look a bit shaken.'

'I'm fine.'

'Really?'

'No.' Valkyrie sighed. 'I was ambushed by Tanith on my way to the bus stop. It's why I missed the bus.'

'Are you hurt?'

'Don't think so. We traded a few kicks and punches, but I think she just wanted to get my attention, so she wasn't really into it. Got a few bruises, probably, but they'll heal – I just need a hot shower.'

'Right. My place?'

'That'll do. I don't really want to go home yet.'

'Did she say what she wanted?'

Valkyrie shrugged. 'Not sure really. Just to needle me a bit, I guess. She went on about how I should join her and Sanguine to have some fun together, and how she can't wait for me to let Darquesse loose.'

'Ah.'

'Yeah.'

'I'm sorry.'

'Not your fault.'

'I know. But you shouldn't have to deal with all this.'

'Yeah. Aren't you going to ask me why I went to see China?'

'I assumed that if you wanted to tell me, you'd do so.'

She hesitated for a moment. 'Why didn't you tell me that you were, um, you know, involved with her?'

'Ah. So she told you.'

'She did.'

'I didn't think it was something you needed to know. Grown-up business and all.'

'I'm not a child.'

He tilted his head slightly. 'No, you're not. But you were. And I didn't want that knowledge to influence the way you viewed either me or China.'

'I thought you weren't going to keep things from me any more.'

'I never said that.'

'Are there more things you haven't told me?'

'Plenty. But nothing important. I think.'

'You're impossible.'

'And you love me anyway.'

She didn't say anything in response, opting to just roll her eyes. A month ago, she could have said yes, and it would have been fine. Now? She didn't think she could joke about it, not with her feelings about the man next to her as confused as they were. She did love him; she knew that, but… Things had got so much more complicated since the reflection's words those few weeks ago.

They drove back to Dublin in silence, although she noticed that Skulduggery looked in her direction more than a few times. She wondered what he was thinking. There were times when she could read him well enough, but at others, his skull was so inscrutable that she couldn't even begin to guess what was going on in that brilliant, if possibly insane, mind.

xXx

Valkyrie excused herself as soon as they got to Skulduggery's house and escaped to the shower. She checked herself in the mirror; there weren't really any bruises to speak of, but she was dusty from rolling around on the ground.

She looked at the bathroom door. She'd never bothered to lock it, trusting Skulduggery not to barge in while she was inside, but now her body felt undeniably aware of her being naked and there being only a thin, unlocked door between her and Skulduggery.

Skulduggery, who apparently liked women. Skulduggery, who wasn't averse to relationships. Skulduggery, who knew what she looked like naked – or her reflection, anyway, but that was almost the same thing.

She shivered, although the bathroom was nice and warm.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Work decided to get a bit insane today, so I have no idea how much time I'll have for writing this week (in other words, the next update might take a little longer), but lo and behold, somehow this chapter got done anyway. No beta readers have been harmed in the production of this chapter; any mistakes are utterly and completely mine.

* * *

><p>Valkyrie's shower took twice the time it usually took. She had half-hoped that there would be some sort of emergency or another, and that Skulduggery <em>would<em> have to barge in on her and drag her out, but of course that didn't happen.

She was almost uncomfortably aroused by the time she got out of the shower – for a long, exciting moment, she'd considered taking care of that right there and then, but finally just couldn't, because that would have meant crossing a line she wasn't quite sure she wanted to cross just yet, especially as she didn't think she could face him if she did – but forced herself to think of something else, just to calm down.

Scapegrace's head came to her mind, and that did the trick, even if her body was still insistent. That could wait, though; it wasn't anything she couldn't manage.

He was waiting for her in the small, but well-organised kitchen. Another thing he'd simply done for her – had it installed the same time he had the plumbing reconnected and bathroom furnished, and presented it to her with a flourish. He did care, and the thought made her smile.

'Tea?'

'Thanks.'

'Are you feeling better?'

She hesitated. 'I think so. Yeah.'

'Good.' He put the kettle on. 'I got a call from the Sanctuary while you were in the shower. Erskine wants us to go to Kenmare tomorrow. Well, actually not Kenmare, but Ardgroom, which is a village near it. There's some sort of strange business going on there that they'd like us to investigate.'

'Kenmare? But that's a long way from here.'

'I know. A good four hours by car. And it's not likely we'll get this sorted fast, so we'll probably need to stay there for a few days.'

'Stay where?'

'There's apparently a bed and breakfast in the village. I rang them and they had a room free. Double, but I can stay in the car, if you prefer.'

'Don't be silly. Tomorrow, you said?'

'Yes. We should probably leave quite early in the morning or we'll waste the day.'

'Right.'

'You don't sound very enthusiastic. Brand new mystery to solve, several days to spend in my company, what's not to be enthusiastic about?'

She couldn't help grinning. 'It does sound like fun. It's just that I don't know if I feel comfortable leaving the reflection with Alison for several days.'

'We're only a few hours away, if something happens. You've left the reflection there with her before, many times, also when you haven't been able to get back home instantly.'

'I know, but…'

'If there is a real emergency, I can fly you back. It's faster than taking the car. I know it's not as good as teleporting, but it's the best I can offer.'

'Okay. Yeah. It should be fine.'

Skulduggery made her tea and added a few lumps of sugar. 'Here. And it will be fine.'

'Thanks.' She sighed. 'Any idea what we're looking for?'

'Strange happenings, apparently. I gather there's a stone circle – standing stones sort of thing – over there, and locals have been reporting seeing odd lights and hearing unusual sounds. They've never seen anything, though. And the Sanctuary reports confirm that there have been spikes of magical activity in that area recently, so they want to know what's going on. They've sent a few agents to check the place out, but they haven't been able to find anything.'

'So they're sending their best detectives now.'

'Quite.' She could hear the affection in his voice. 'By the way, I talked to Erskine and Ghastly and I think I managed to convince them to give you a raise. You've got more field experience than almost any of the Sanctuary's other detectives; I don't think it's fair to classify you as an apprentice any longer.'

'Not that I ever really was one.'

'Very true.' Skulduggery nodded. 'Apprentices have to have a fair share of respect for their masters. This is, sadly, something you've never shown me.'

She grinned. 'You, my master. The very idea is preposterous.'

'So it would seem. Partner.'

'Thank you. Not that I'll need the money once I have my inheritance, but – well, thank you.'

'It's the thought that counts?'

'That, and I appreciate your efforts to get our dear Grand Mage and Elder Bespoke to see me as an adult. I don't think Ghastly does yet, you know.'

'He's known you since you were twelve.'

'So have you, and you see me as an adult.'

'Well…'

She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. 'Don't you?'

He looked at her, his head cocked. 'I was joking.'

'Oh. Good. Really?'

'Really.' He busied himself with putting the kettle and tea things away. 'We've been through a lot together. The things you've done, the things you've experienced… The burdens you carry around. I haven't viewed you as a child for a long time now, although sometimes that makes me worry.'

'Worry? Why?'

He shrugged slightly, his back to her. 'I've placed you in danger so many times, and I haven't always been there to protect you.'

'I've placed myself in danger. There really isn't anything you could have done about it. And you've always been there when I've really needed you.'

'Have I?' He turned around. 'I… Not always.'

'Always when it's counted.'

'Right. Good. Anyway, you may consider this your first assignment as a full detective.'

'It's a bit scary when you put it like that. What time will you pick me up tomorrow?'

'I was thinking around eight. Is that okay?'

'Yeah, it should leave me enough time to have breakfast and pack. I'll just need work clothes, won't I? No balls or parties planned?'

'Unfortunately no. It's purely a work trip.'

'Good.' That would make packing simple. She'd need something to sleep in – oh god, she'd be sharing the room with Skulduggery; not that she'd never slept in the same room with him before, because she'd napped here or in the Bentley in his company often enough, but that was then, and this was now – and some toiletries, and that would be basically it.

'You know, I think it's the first time I'm going on a trip like that with you.'

'It is indeed.'

'I stayed away from home for days at a time when you were away – when I was searching for your head – but this is different.'

'You're getting all excited now, aren't you?'

'I am, actually. It's kind of funny. All these years, and it's something new, something we haven't done before.'

And it would be a chance to… to do what, exactly? To jump his bones, as Tanith had so rudely, although accurately, suggested? They'd be there to work, not for any other reason. And what if China had been wrong and he wasn't interested after all? That would make things seriously awkward, wouldn't it? But then again, this was Skulduggery, and in all the years she'd known him, there had never been an awkward situation they hadn't been able to laugh off.

She'd just have to play it by ear, she supposed.

He was looking at her again, his head tilted in that odd way she still couldn't quite decipher. He'd been doing it more often lately.

'What are you thinking about?'

'Hmm?'

'You're looking at me in a way that says you're thinking about something.'

'Oh. Nothing.'

'You're thinking about nothing.'

'Well, yes. You really should try it sometimes. It's quite refreshing.'

'You can be so annoying, you know.'

'And yet you're still here, standing in my kitchen and drinking my tea.'

She smiled. 'Point taken.'

She wondered, not for the first time, how it was that one man could be so infuriating and so endearing at the same time. And it wasn't something she'd ever get tired of, either – at least she hadn't yet, after spending nearly six years in his company. And she really couldn't imagine her life without him, ever again. She'd come too close, both when the Faceless Ones had pulled him through that portal and when Melancholia had taken his soul. The memory of the latter was still raw and painful, whenever she thought about it. She tried not to dwell on it too often, but the knowledge that it _was_ possible to kill Skulduggery… that scared her.

And she might just be the one to kill him. In a year or two. Unless they could change the future.

Or unless he killed her first.

She shook her head. No point in thinking like that. There was still time. Besides, Darquesse _liked_ Skulduggery. And Darquesse had fought Vile, and they'd both survived. And Skulduggery had – so far, anyway – always been able to coax her own self out again, to help her to take control over Darquesse.

'Are you okay?' His voice was soft. 'You look a bit pale.'

'Yeah.' She forced a smile. 'I was just thinking. About stuff.'

He nodded. 'Darquesse?'

'Yeah.'

He stepped closer, put his gloved hands on her arms. 'She's not going to win. No matter what.'

'I know.' He was so close, and yet not close enough. She really wanted a hug right now. Instead, she drew back. 'I should go home. Packing to do and all that. And I should spend some time with my parents and my sister.'

xXx

Skulduggery dropped her off at the pier, as usual. She climbed out of the Bentley and bid him goodnight, and he drove off without looking back. She felt bereft for a moment, until she reminded herself that she'd have several days with him very soon.

She'd tell him. She'd find a suitable moment, and she'd tell him. There was no point in putting it off much longer, especially with his perceptiveness. She could only lie to him so long without feeling wretched about it, and what would be the point? He'd either turn her down – gently, she hoped, and then they'd never speak of it again – or he wouldn't.

xXx

The early morning sun made sure Valkyrie was awake well before their agreed time. She threw a few things quickly into an old rucksack, making sure she'd have enough changes of underwear to last her a week, and summoned the reflection.

The reflection climbed out of the mirror and smirked. 'Good luck,' it said.

'Erm, thanks?'

'You really need to learn to loosen up, you know. You're going to spend the next several days with Skulduggery, quite possibly finally getting somewhere with him, and instead you're standing here worrying about me. You don't need to, you know. Your baby sister will be quite safe with me, and I always take good care of her.'

Valkyrie turned, so that the reflection wouldn't see her expression. Damn. It had never occurred to her that the reflection would know it scared her sometimes – how could she be so stupid? Of course it would know. It knew everything she thought, and more, after all.

'Good,' she said. 'As for Skulduggery, I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to talk to me about him. It's awkward enough as is, without me feeling that I need to share every detail with a third person. Besides, we have a case to solve there, so I'm not even sure anything _will_ happen.'

'You can't put it off forever.'

She sighed. 'I know. Anyway, I need to leave now. You know what to do. If anything happens – anything at all that I should know about, or that I'd want to know about – ring me immediately.'

The reflection shrugged. 'I know. Have fun.'

Valkyrie didn't respond. Instead, she climbed out of the window, taking care to stay as quiet as possible, and dropped down on the ground. She checked the time – ten to eight. Perfect.

Skulduggery was already waiting for her at the pier, even though she was a few minutes early. He was standing with his back to her, looking out at the crashing waves, and she took a moment to admire his familiar tall, thin shape. He wasn't wearing his usual overcoat – probably left it in the back of the car. She smiled, looking at his broad shoulders and narrow hips; at least when he was wearing one of his immaculately tailored suits, Skulduggery could look incredibly attractive. She wondered why she'd never noticed it before.

She knew, of course, what was underneath that suit and the intricate framework built into it, which created the illusion of a body. She'd had to pick up parts of him all too often to forget. But somehow it didn't matter. It had stopped mattering to her years ago, almost as soon as she'd first met him, found out about him. She'd never been repulsed by his touch, and she found she far preferred his real looks to any of the façades he wore. He was beautiful, in an odd sort of way, and his personality more than made up for the lack of flesh.

She had no idea whether his personality could make up for the lack of flesh also in a more intimate relationship. She was determined to find out, though.

She cleared her throat and he turned around.

'Good morning.'

Damn. His voice alone, so gloriously smooth and velvety, was enough to melt her insides. She suppressed the blush that was threatening to paint her cheeks red – she really had to get that under control; it was ridiculous how easily she, Valkyrie Cain, trained fighter and powerful sorcerer, could blush whenever there was a sexy man present – and nodded to him. 'Shall we go?'

He reached out and took her bag. 'We should be there by noon. Some of the roads aren't too good, or I could take us there in three hours instead.'

Valkyrie shrugged. 'Four hours is fine. Can I drive for some of it?'

'If you insist.'

She grinned. 'I can't wait to get my licence. Although I'd love a bike…'

Skulduggery shook his head. 'Youngsters these days,' he said sadly. 'There's nothing that can beat a car with class.'

She laughed. She did want a car; it was okay back when she still had Fletcher to give her a lift whenever she needed to go somewhere, but now she had to depend on either Skulduggery or public transport. A car would be nice to have, and more practical in the Irish weather than a bike. Then again, if she had one of her own, she'd lose an excuse to spend more time with Skulduggery.

Decisions were hard. Well, if she did get around to telling him about her feelings soon, she wouldn't need an excuse anyway.

xXx

The journey was largely uneventful. They stopped at a petrol station where Valkyrie bought herself something to drink and eat and used the toilet, and Skulduggery let her drive the Bentley for almost an hour, until she voluntarily offered to switch places again.

As much as she loved spending time with Skulduggery, being in the driver's seat of his precious Bentley, with him next to her, constantly offering advice, giving instructions and generally wailing about how she'd wreck it any moment, was something she just couldn't deal with for more than an hour at a time.

She sighed in relief when he took over again. Driving was fun, but so exhausting. Besides, she loved to watch Skulduggery drive – the way his long fingers wrapped around the wheel, the way he made it look so effortless… She closed her eyes. She really needed to focus on other things. Such as the case, or their destination, or… Anything but the man next to her.

'Tired?' he asked.

Valkyrie opened her eyes again. 'Just a bit.' She wasn't, but it was as good an excuse as any.

'You can go to sleep if you want to. I'll let you know once we're there.'

That reminded her of something. 'What are you planning to do when we get there? If you look different every time someone on the staff sees you, they might start to wonder. Or they might start to wonder about me, bringing in a different man every night.'

'Ah.' Skulduggery nodded. 'I had actually thought about that. I was going to leave any interacting with the staff to you – after all, it's all good practice for you – and keep to the shadows.' He tapped at the glove department. 'I have a pair of sunglasses there; I can wear them. And if needed, I can try on a few different faces, to make sure it's something vaguely similar each time.'

'With you wearing the sunglasses and a hat, they might not notice,' Valkyrie mused.

'Exactly.' He sounded smug. 'I'm so clever that sometimes I even amaze myself.'

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help grinning.

'By the way,' he said, 'I also booked the room in your name. Your given name, that is, in case they want to see some form of ID.'

'Mmm. That makes sense, I suppose.'

'It was my idea. Of course it makes sense.'

'Do you ever get scared of your ego?'

'Why? It's magnificent. I happen to love my ego.'

'It's so, well, huge.'

'Of course it is. It's mine.'

Valkyrie laughed. 'So, any ideas about the case?' she asked.

'Nope. Well, I have _some_ ideas, obviously, but I really need to see the place before I can formulate a theory. But as there haven't been any sudden outbreaks of violence or anything like that, it should be something nice and simple. We go in, we find out who's scaring the locals, we'll hopefully get to punch some people, and that's it. Job well done as always.'

'Oh, yeah. It's quite close to MacGillycuddy's Reeks, isn't it?'

'Relatively, yes. But I think we'd know if it had anything to do with the Remnants escaping, if that's what you were wondering about, so no need to worry.'

'I'm not worried.'

He tilted his head at her. 'Of course.'

She shrugged. 'As you said, if it was them, we'd know about it.'

'Between you and me, I think it's nothing serious. Erskine is just playing safe. He doesn't want to risk the locals being scared off by something clearly magical, and at the same time, I got the feeling that he thought you and I could do with a nice little holiday, away from Dublin or Roarhaven.'

Valkyrie blinked. 'That's awfully kind of him.'

'Yes, well, I have to admit Erskine does make a good Grand Mage. He tends to notice things, things that people need, and if it's in his power, he has the natural inclination to try and do something to help.'

'I like Erskine.'

Skulduggery's voice was full of amusement. 'I have noticed.'

'Shut up.'

'As you wish.'


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: And here's the next bit. Also, I _think_ that the rating might actually stay around T, but one never knows. It's certainly not going to go up just yet.

Also, I still don't own the characters. A pity, but there you go.

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><p>When they finally reached Ardgroom, shortly after midday, Skulduggery stopped the Bentley in front of a cosy little two storey house.<p>

'Is this where we're staying?'

Instead of answering, he pointed at the hand-painted sign saying _Bed & Breakfast_.

'Ah. There's only one?'

He nodded. 'And even this one was opened just recently. We're lucky, it seems.'

Valkyrie climbed out of the car and picked up her rucksack, leaving Skulduggery to fix his façade. He'd activated it when they had pulled into the village, but Valkyrie didn't quite like that one – the goatee and narrow moustache gave him a somewhat sinister look.

'Try to find something that wouldn't make you look like someone whose hobby is kidnapping innocent young girls,' she said over her shoulder.

Skulduggery looked around, making sure they weren't being watched, before letting the façade flow away and tapping the symbols again. 'What about this one? And which innocent young girls would you be talking about?'

This one made him look like a middle-aged accountant. She made a face.

'How about something a bit, um, sexier? If we're to share a room, I don't want the people here to think that my taste is _that_ bad.'

He gave it a few more tries until he settled on one with dark brown hair and medium lips. Valkyrie shrugged. 'Not really my type either, but it'll do.'

Skulduggery peered at himself in the rear view mirror. 'It's generic enough that I should be able to get a reasonably similar one later,' he decided. 'Anyway, in you go. I'll get the luggage and join you once you've checked in.'

Valkyrie walked inside and rang the bell. A woman who looked to be in her sixties emerged from a back room.

'Hello,' Valkyrie said, putting on her nicest smile. 'I'm Stephanie Edgley. There should be a reservation made under my name.'

The woman checked the register. 'Indeed.' She eyed Valkyrie suspiciously. 'It's a double room. Are you staying here alone?'

'Um, no. My friend's outside. He's getting his luggage.'

'You look very young.' The remark was pointed enough for Valkyrie to understand her meaning.

She blushed. 'I'm over seventeen. And we're not, uh… He's just a friend.'

The landlady did not look happy, but turned the register towards her with a sigh. 'Very well. Sign here.' Valkyrie did as instructed. 'Here's your key. It's up the stairs and then left, second door on the right.'

'Thank you.' She smiled and took the key. When she turned towards the stairs, Skulduggery strolled through the front door, carrying a rather large suitcase. She grinned; his long overcoat billowing after him and the hat and the sunglasses – new and stylish, she noticed – really made him look dashing, in spite of the nondescript face.

'You're really not very good at staying inconspicuous,' she said when he'd joined her on the stairs, keeping her voice down.

'Aren't I?' He adjusted his sunglasses with his free hand. 'I can't really help it. Making an entrance comes naturally to me.'

She found the room and unlocked the door. The room looked nice, if smallish; it was bathed in sunshine and the furniture looked practical. She put her bag on the floor and flopped down on the king size bed.

'Still tired?' Skulduggery closed the door behind him and opened his suitcase.

Valkyrie raised her head and peered at the pile of clothes. 'Not really, but it's nice to stretch out for a moment after all those hours in the car. Even in a car as nice as yours. Did you pack all these clothes for just a few days?'

'I like to be prepared.' He opened the wardrobe and tilted his head. It looked a bit strange, what with him still wearing the façade. 'It's a good thing I brought some extra hangers, too, as there are only four here. Do you need any?'

'Nah, I'm fine.'

She watched him hang up his shirts – at least eight of them – as well as several spare suits and ties.

'Why do you keep wearing suits like that anyway?' she asked. 'Why not have Ghastly make you some protective clothes? Same sort as mine? You wouldn't need so many then, and they wouldn't get slashed to ribbons all the time.'

'You can't make a proper suit out of protective fabric.' He sounded a little wistful. 'Ghastly tried once. It just didn't look right.'

'So it was a choice between, what, style and protection? And you chose style?'

'Naturally.'

He finished putting his things away. 'Are you hungry? I thought we could go and take a look at the stone circle, but I think I spotted a pub on the way here, if you'd like to have something to eat first.'

Valkyrie, who knew only too well what a rarity meals could be whenever she was out on a case with her skeletal partner, found the idea of lunch irresistible, even though she wasn't particularly hungry yet.

xXx

They found the pub easily and Valkyrie decided on sandwiches. Skulduggery assured her that they were not in any hurry, so she took her time. She was glad Skulduggery could talk for the two of them – this way he could keep the conversation going while she'd just have to mumble a yes or no around the bites of bread.

She'd felt a bit awkward about eating in his company when she was younger, especially when sometimes he'd stop talking and just look at her, his head tilted at a somewhat wistful angle, but when she'd asked him if he missed eating, he just shrugged it off. These days she was so used to it that she didn't mind.

xXx

'So, this is the stone circle.'

'Indeed it is.'

Valkyrie took in the sight. 'A bit shabby, isn't it?'

Skulduggery checked the surroundings. There was no one else around, so he tapped the symbols etched on his collarbones and let his façade flow away.

'I've seen worse,' he said, once he looked like himself again. He took a small box out of his pocket and threw some rainbow dust into the air.

Valkyrie watched the powder drift downwards.

'Hmm.'

'Hmm?'

'You tell me.' Skulduggery pointed at the small scattering of dust at his feet, which had turned a light green. 'What does that tell you?'

Valkyrie eyed the powder. 'Um. It's a light green colour?'

'Indeed it is. What else?'

'This is one of those times when you're trying to teach me something, isn't it?'

'_Trying_ to, yes.' He sounded amused. 'I know you have bigger things on your mind, but if you're serious about detecting, you really should learn the basics.'

Valkyrie grimaced. He had a point, of course, and she _did_ want to be a detective, but research just wasn't all that much fun. Maybe if she could talk him into doing it with her.

Not wanting to disappoint him completely, she crouched and poked at the dust. 'It changed colour, so magic has been used here.'

'Very good. Anything else?'

She made an effort to remember the times Skulduggery had used rainbow dust before. 'Um. Adept magic?' She had no idea, but from what Skulduggery had said yesterday about what the locals had reported seeing, it hadn't sounded particularly Elemental.

'Well done.'

She grinned.

'Unfortunately it's about all it tells us,' Skulduggery said. 'I can't even get a time – it's not very recent, not within the last six hours at least, but other than that, it could be any time between last night and last week. Still, at least we have confirmed that magical activity has taken place here, so unless we find any more clues, we should come back later.'

They walked around the stones a few times. Valkyrie tried to keep her eyes open for clues, but she failed to spot anything out of the ordinary.

'Are we treating sheep poop as suspicious?' she asked after almost stepping into a neat little pile of pellets.

'Not particularly, no. Does it look suspicious?'

'It looks like sheep poop.'

'Then that's probably what it is.' Skulduggery, who had been prodding at one of the standing stones, straightened and pointed towards a small copse of trees. 'There are sheep over there. It's probably one of them that left the pile behind.'

'Maybe we're looking for sorcerers who can turn into sheep?'

'It's a theory.'

'It would explain why the Sanctuary agents haven't seen anything out of the ordinary,' Valkyrie said. 'They're looking for people doing magic. What if it's actually sheep doing magic?'

'Your theory is getting more detailed.'

'You're impressed, aren't you?'

'Exceedingly. Carry on. Oh, and try not to step in anything; I don't want sheep poop in the Bentley.'

She wandered around some more, trying to look serious and focused, but mostly she was busy stealing glances at Skulduggery. Her partner was in his own element, whistling some old tune she didn't recognise, hands in his coat pockets, stopping at times to take a closer look at something.

He seemed happy. She liked seeing him happy.

Whether they'd solve the case or not – although she was confident that if there was, indeed, a case to solve, then they would; Skulduggery wasn't the sort of person to fail at his job – she was glad Ravel had sent them off here. A change might be just what they both needed. She knew she needed it, and Skulduggery had seemed a bit tense lately, as if there was something on his mind.

It took them over an hour before Skulduggery was satisfied that there really weren't any useful clues – or any clues at all, for that matter.

'Now what?' she asked.

'We could drive around a bit, see the local sights?' Skulduggery suggested. 'Or we could spend some time teaching you the basics of detecting. Or we could head back to the hotel and you could have a nap, as you might not get a lot of sleep later tonight.'

'I don't think I'm tired enough yet for a nap.' She yawned. 'Well, maybe a bit tired, but that can wait. Let's just drive around a bit and you can lecture me all you like while driving.'

She wasn't going to mention that while she loved to listen to him talk, when it came to longer lectures it wasn't his words that she paid attention to.

Besides, he probably already knew it. Surely he couldn't be completely oblivious to what his voice could do to a woman?

xXx

They made it back to the hotel in the early evening, after spending a few hours driving around and then having a picnic beside a small pond they discovered. Skulduggery had surprised her by having picnic things all packed up and hidden in the Bentley's trunk.

'It is a holiday of sorts,' he'd explained. 'I thought you might like it.'

He'd been right, as usual. She _had_ liked it. Especially the part where, after she'd eaten and they'd cleared the empty dishes away, they'd been lying on the blanket side by side, watching the small fluffy clouds float by. Skulduggery had told her that it was something he used to do as a child.

She'd also called the reflection, who had assured her that everything was fine.

The holiday – work trip, whatever – was really off to a perfect start. Even the landlady sending them a suspicious glare when they got back to the hotel didn't mar Valkyrie's mood.

She yawned again when they got to their room.

'Sleepy?'

'I think I might manage a nap now, yes.' She eyed the bed. 'What are you going to do?'

_Please stay. Please say you'll stay._

He bent down to take off his shoes. 'I thought I'd meditate for a few hours.'

Valkyrie eyed the chair that stood in the corner. It didn't look particularly comfortable. 'In, uh, the bed?'

Skulduggery looked up. 'The chair doesn't look particularly comfortable. And I do have my dignity, you know, so the floor is out of the question. Is that a problem?'

She hesitated for a moment. 'No. No, of course it's not.'

He wrinkled his forehead; another skill he'd recently perfected. 'I _can_ go and sit in the Bentley if it's a problem. It's just that you said yesterday that it would be fine.'

'No.' She managed a smile now, although her mouth was dry. 'Don't be silly. It's really not a problem. It's a big bed after all.'

'Good.' He removed his tie and opened the first few buttons on his shirt to tap the symbols. 'Are you going to just stand there?'

Valkyrie rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag. 'I'll be right back.'

She changed quickly in the bathroom, putting on her sleep clothes – the familiar old Dublin football jersey and a pair of comfortable shorts. Skulduggery was already in bed, lying on top of the covers, when she got out. He'd taken off his jacket as well, but otherwise he was still fully dressed.

She wondered if he even owned any sleep clothes – well, meditation clothes in his case. Probably not, she decided; he must have found it helpful to be always dressed and ready to go whenever there was an emergency.

He turned his head slightly when she climbed under the light blanket. 'We should leave around ten. I should be awake by then, but if I'm not, just give me a shake.'

'Will do.' She tried her best to sound normal. It really shouldn't have felt awkward. This wasn't any different from all those times she'd napped in the Bentley with him no further away than now. Even earlier today, on the picnic blanket, they'd been just as close – without any covers separating them. And yet it felt different, somehow, to share a bed with him.

xXx

The room was nearly dark when she awoke. It took her a moment to remember where she was. She'd twisted and turned in her sleep, so she'd somehow ended up on her side on top of the covers, and there was something cool and hard and a little bit lumpy under her arm, pressed against the left side of her chest.

She blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness.

It was Skulduggery. She'd snuggled up to Skulduggery in her sleep, and was now half hugging him, half lying on top of him.

She closed her eyes again, feeling mortified. Did he know? Was he awake yet?

She raised her head, opened one eye and peeked at him. His skull, so very close to her own face, was gleaming faintly in the little light there was, and he seemed to be quite still.

She'd just have to move a little closer and she could almost…

Valkyrie swallowed. This was it. This was the moment she'd been waiting for. She could kiss him now; if he wasn't awake yet, he'd never have to know. If he was… Well. Then she'd know. One way or another.

She moved closer, a centimetre at a time. Her heart was beating so wildly inside her that she wondered if he could feel it. If he was awake, he probably could. Was he awake? Was he going to turn his head any moment now and say '_Boo!_'?

He was so still. If he'd been any other man, it would have been unnatural, how still he was.

Her lips were almost touching his skull now.

Once she was there, once she'd closed that gap, there would be no going back. Would he know? Would he push her away? Would he let her down gently, explaining why it was impossible?

Valkyrie Cain was scared. But she was nothing if not determined, so she closed that gap and her lips met the cool, dry bone of his jaw.

Nothing happened. Nothing, except for her heart, which was beating even more erratically now.

She moved her mouth experimentally. It was _strange_, kissing him like that. Fletcher's lips had been warm and soft, as had Hansard's; Caelan's had been harder and colder, but they all had one thing in common – they all had lips to kiss. Skulduggery had bone, hard and unyielding, and he wasn't kissing her back.

Maybe if she moved her lips a bit further up and to the left…

His head turned a fraction and Valkyrie's mouth found his teeth. This was… even stranger. Weird. Seriously weird. Not exactly _bad_ weird, though, especially once she'd got a bit more used to the sensation.

Wait – had his head just turned?

She started to pull away, when she felt his hand move to the small of her back.

Oh.

So he didn't want her to pull away?

'Skulduggery,' she whispered into his jaw. 'I'm… I wasn't sure if you were awake or not.'

'I have been for a while now.'

'Ah.'

'Do you often make it a habit of kissing people who you think may not be in a position to consent to it?'

The words were harsh, but there was amusement in his voice, so she relaxed a little. 'No. Not really. Uh… I'm sorry.'

She expected him to tell her she didn't need to be. He didn't.

Instead, he turned his head a bit more. 'I realise I'm completely irresistible to women,' he murmured into her ear, 'but what brought this on? Just idle curiosity? Did your chat with China make you wonder what it would be like, to kiss a skeleton?'

Ouch. No. Not that. Now he was getting it all wrong.

She shook her head. 'No. The reason I went to China in the first place was that I needed to talk to someone who knew you – someone who could tell me if there was any possibility, any chance at all, for you to be interested in me. I couldn't really go to Ghastly, not with this, so…'

'So you asked China.'

'Yes.'

'And she told you that I would be interested.'

She took a deep breath. 'She said she thought it's possible.'

'And you wanted to know this, because… Valkyrie, are you… Do you…' He hesitated. 'Do you have feelings for me?'

'I just kissed you, didn't I?'

'You did. But sometimes people kiss someone while swearing they have no interest in them whatsoever.'

Valkyrie sighed. 'Please don't remind me of Caelan. That was a mistake. A huge mistake.'

'I'm sorry.'

'I don't know what I'm feeling, to be honest. I just… it's all so confusing, but… I've been wondering about it for a while now, because you're just…' Frustration at explaining her feelings made her angry. 'Look, I have no idea what exactly it is that I'm feeling for you, but the boyfriends I've had, they haven't made me happy, or satisfied – not truly, anyway, because they don't really _get_ me. You're the only one who does. The only one who knows; who knows who I am and what I'm going through, and—'

'So you're kissing me because you decided you don't really have any other options.'

'No!' This was all going so wrong. 'No.'

She pushed herself up and sat on the bed, pulling her knees up. 'I kissed you because I _like_ you. And yes, ever since it occurred to me that I can't really ever be happy with anyone else, I've been wondering about what it would be like, if you and I weren't just friends, or just partners, but if we were _together_. And I realised that I'd never really thought about you that way before.'

'Because I'm a skeleton? Because I'm dead? Because I'm too old?'

'No.' She sighed. 'Because you'd been my best friend since I was twelve, and while I've always seen you as a _man_, and looked up to you, and while you've been the most important person in my life for years now, I'd never considered you as boyfriend material. But once I did, I wondered why something so obvious had escaped me until now.'

Skulduggery looked at her, his eye sockets big and dark in his gleaming white face.

'I'm sorry.'


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: There. A chapter written in one day. Granted, I had very little work today, and this basically wrote itself, so... don't get used to this. :D

The characters are still not mine. If they were, they would do as I say, instead of telling me what they do and don't want to do. Obnoxious people, those two.

* * *

><p>Valkyrie shrugged, fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill. 'Doesn't matter. Just forget about it. You're obviously not interested, so… Never mind. Let's pretend this never happened. We have a case to get to.'<p>

Skulduggery was silent for a moment. 'I didn't push you away.'

There it was; that stupid little glimmer of hope again. 'Why didn't you?'

'I also didn't say I wasn't interested.'

'Oh.'

He reached out with his gloved hand, but then seemed to think better of it and pulled it back again.

'This… It changes things.' His voice was barely above a murmur. 'Are you really sure you want that? We've had a good relationship so far. I'd be content to keep it the way it has been.'

'It's already changed. Hasn't it?' Valkyrie knew she had to tread carefully, but if he was saying what she thought he was saying… 'I just kissed you.'

'You did.'

'Did you… I mean, I have no idea how this works, with you and – with you and women.'

'It was quite wonderful.' He reached out again, this time taking her hand into hers. 'I can't give you a normal relationship. You know that, don't you? I can't kiss you back. I can't give you things other men could give you.'

'I know.' She squeezed his hand. 'I know. Believe it or not, I've noticed what you are. Is this why you…?'

'Why I seem to be reluctant?'

'Yes.'

He shook his head. 'No. Well, yes, it's a part of it. I needed to know your reasons. I'm still not convinced you're doing this for the right reasons, by the way, but I understand why you feel the way you do.'

'Then what is it?'

He hesitated. 'I don't really want to make this an issue, but… you _are_ very young.'

'I'm old enough to know what I want. I'm old enough even in the eyes of the law. Not that it matters, but… I'm not a little girl, Skulduggery.'

'I know you're not. I've noticed.'

There was something in his tone that made Valkyrie wonder if he was embarrassed. Skulduggery was _never _embarrassed.

'Um…' This must have been one of the most awkward and confusing conversations she'd ever had with him. More awkward than the conversations she'd had with him when she first started seeing Fletcher, and those had been mortifying enough. 'If you say you've noticed… Is that what it is?'

'I'm over four hundred years old, Valkyrie. You're barely seventeen.'

'Almost eighteen,' she muttered.

'Fine, almost eighteen. In the grand scheme of things, that's not really a big difference, I'm afraid. I'm still four hundred years older than you are. And for the last year, I've been… I've been… I've been seeing you in a different light.'

Valkyrie looked at him, waited for him to go on.

'It's guilt,' he murmured. 'I shouldn't be thinking that way about you.'

'A year?'

He nodded, the movement so subtle she almost missed it in the darkness. 'Last year, when… It was when Darquesse came out. When we had to deal with the Jitter Girls. I don't mean – it's not Darquesse that I'm attracted to, it's you – but when she emerged, that day, the way you looked… You were not that girl I'd first met. I don't know when it happened, and I don't think I noticed it until then, but you'd grown up. There was a young, extremely powerful woman standing in front of me, and… I may be dead, and I may be a skeleton, and I may be old, but I'm still a man.'

'So… Why is that a problem?'

He sighed. She wondered, not for the first time, how that worked. Air manipulation? Or just his magic, the same thing that enabled him to talk and see and listen and feel?

'It's a problem because… I suppose it's because I feel I shouldn't. I shouldn't be attracted to you. You certainly shouldn't be attracted to me. The age thing… doesn't that bother you? You told me once that Caelan was too old, and he was three hundred years younger than I am, and he looked young and beautiful. You even told me fifty-year-olds are too old.'

Valkyrie gave a slight shrug. 'It's different with you. You're much older, yes, but with you, there's something else there. You understand me better than anyone else. And you're my best friend. I guess I've sort of accepted it with you, that you have a past that I can never be a part of, but... You don't feel that old. You don't act that old.'

'Be that as it may, but it doesn't change the basic problems.'

'If I want you, and you want me, how are these things still problems?'

He pulled on her hand. 'Come here.'

She dropped back down on the bed beside him. They were very close, their faces almost touching.

'What exactly is it that you want?' he asked. 'What kind of a relationship?'

'The sort that you had with China?'

Skulduggery groaned. 'What did she tell you?'

'Uh… well, she didn't really go into details, but she implied enough to make it obvious that it was, well, a physical relationship.'

'Of course she did.' He rubbed his skull with his free hand; he was still squeezing hers with the other. 'I'm not going to have the same sort of relationship with you that I had with China. She was over two hundred years old when we first became involved, and had a world of experience. I'm not saying you're a complete innocent in these matters,' he said, noticing that she was about to protest, 'but… Never mind.'

She was curious now. 'What sort of relationship _did_ you have with China?'

'I'm not going to tell you that.'

'Why not?'

'Because I said so.'

She rolled her eyes. 'That is so not a good excuse.'

'I think it's a very good excuse.' He turned his head, so that he could look into her eyes. 'If you absolutely must know, it included things that you're simply too young to even think about.'

'Kinky stuff?'

He covered his eye sockets with his gloved hand. 'You're terrible. And that is all I have to say about this.'

'Okay then,' she said, glad that the darkness was hiding the flush on her cheeks. 'What I want is, uh, to be with you. Sex and all that.'

'Can we compromise?'

'Compromise?'

'Yes. I'll allow you to kiss me, and we can hug and hold hands and do whatever young couples do these days, but that's as far as it goes.'

'Young couples these days do a lot more than that and you know that.'

He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders instead, pulling her a little closer.

'I know you've been skipping school a lot these days, but your reflection hasn't. So I expect you remember _some_ things from your biology lessons. Such as that skeletons lack certain things that people who are not skeletons have.'

She rolled her eyes. 'I know that. I know that the sex would be a bit different.'

'I can't have normal intercourse with you.'

'You make it sound so… clinical.'

He tilted his head. 'That doesn't change the issue itself.'

'There's plenty of other stuff we could do, though. I mean, I haven't actually, you know, gone all the way with anyone anyway.'

'You haven't? I thought you and Fletcher—'

'He wanted to, but… I mean, I wanted to, as well, but it never really felt like the moment was quite right. We did do a lot of other stuff, though. And Hansard, too… I mean, I think I would have, with him, but we couldn't really hang out at his place, or mine, and I didn't want to do it in the back of his car, so I kept putting it off, and...'

Skulduggery groaned again. 'So you're telling me you're a virgin.'

'Well, technically… But I'm not exactly an innocent, so you needn't worry about robbing me of that, or anything.'

He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'young people these days' and sighed.

'Wouldn't you rather be with someone else? Someone who _can_ be with you in every way?'

'If I did, we wouldn't be here talking about this, would we?'

'What, you're just trying to win me over with logic now?'

'Is it working?'

'No.'

'Why not?'

'Are you sure?'

He pulled her a little closer still. 'Very sure.'

'Would it help if I kissed you?'

'You are absolutely certain that this is what you want?'

She let out a frustrated sigh. 'Yes.'

'I could wear the façade. It might make the kissing more pleasant for you.'

She considered this for a moment. 'We could try that later. It, well, wouldn't really feel like kissing _you_, I think… but I guess we can try.'

'But not now.'

'No, not now.' She turned her head and brushed her lips against his cheek, bolder now. 'Tell me what to do. Tell me what you like.'

'You're doing fine.' There was an odd tightness in his voice that she couldn't quite place. 'Carry on.'

She moved down, planting little, tender kisses all along his jaw, and then slid upwards again. He opened his mouth a little when she reached his teeth. It took her a moment to realise he was kissing her back, or at least trying to, as much as he could, and she smiled against his teeth before sticking the tip of her tongue out experimentally, to explore the inside of his mouth.

It really was strange. There was no way around that, and she told him as much when she pulled back again.

'It's a _good_ strange though,' she added. 'I mean, I've never tried to kiss a skeleton before. And it's weird, that you don't have lips, or tongue, or… I think I could get used to this, though.'

'You're not repulsed by me? By kissing me?'

She answered by snuggling closer to him and kissing him again.

'Nope. Not repulsed in the least.' She grinned. 'So if you thought that was going to make me regret and agree to put a stop to it…'

'I'm still not going to have sex with you. Or whatever it is that you think you and I should be doing.'

She put a hand on his chest, feeling the clear lines of his ribs through his starched shirt.

'You're not going to change my mind,' he continued.

'But why?'

He looked at her with his empty eye sockets. 'Let's just take it slow. I'm being torn apart by guilt right at this very moment as it is.'

'You don't look very torn apart by guilt.'

'I hide it well.'

She sighed. 'How slow? Skulduggery… We both know what the future may bring. This time next year I may be dead.'

'You won't be.'

'You don't know that.'

'It might be the year after the next. You looked a little older than eighteen.'

'You're not very good at being comforting, you know.'

He pushed a strand of hair off her face. 'You won't die. You're too pretty to die.'

'Do you really think so? That I'm pretty?'

'Yes. Yes, I do. You're beautiful.'

'All those times you've told me that before, I thought it was just… that you were joking.'

'Not about that.'

'I've been terribly blind about things, haven't I? I mean… I never realised.'

'You weren't supposed to.' He turned a little, so he was lying on his side, and pulled her into his embrace. 'I would have been content with what we had. I'd be lying if I said I didn't prefer this – this thing, that we're doing here, now – but while I'm still man enough to have feelings, I don't have physical needs as such. I was quite prepared to watch you spend the rest of your life with someone else.'

'Are you trying to make me feel bad about being so blind now?'

His gloved hand was on her back. It felt reassuring. Safe. Wonderful.

'No. I'd never try to make you feel bad about anything.'

'But you're still not going to give in easily, are you?'

He laughed. 'No, I'm not. Let's just take things slow for a while and see what happens. If you're still insisting on more in a few months…'

Valkyrie almost regretted that she wasn't the sort of girl who'd pout, because she really felt like pouting. 'Are you worried that I'd change my mind?'

'You've been known to change your mind before. But no, that's not the reason – you're free to change your mind as often as you like. Just, well, if you happen to change it enough to want to get involved with someone else, please tell me first.'

'Don't worry. I learned my lesson about that with Caelan. And I felt pretty horrid about the whole thing, really, especially when I told Fletcher. I wouldn't do that to you.'

'I'm glad to hear that.' He paused for a moment. 'I know it's a completely arbitrary line, which doesn't really mean a lot, but I admit I would feel a little easier about it if we waited at least until you're eighteen. Not so much because of the number, but when that day comes, you'll get your inheritance and could theoretically move into Gordon's mansion and…'

'So you'd want to wait until I'm rich?' She grinned.

'Absolutely. Although I _was_ mostly going for waiting until you are independent – an adult also in the eyes of the law, not just to me. I think I can still manage to support myself, you know.'

'I hate it when you disagree with me and your arguments actually make sense.'

'My arguments always make sense. It's a curse that comes with being me.'

'Oh, shut up.'

'Make me?'

There was no mistaking the hint of mischief in his voice, so Valkyrie didn't have to think twice before kissing him again. It was still strange, really strange, but she was confident that the strangeness would dissipate with more time and practice, especially as she enjoyed the sensation in spite of its oddity – all the more so when Skulduggery's other arm snaked around her, too, and he twisted them so that he was halfway on top of her, taking a far more active role in the proceedings than before.

His gloved hand, smooth and cool, found its way under her shirt on her back, making her gasp. He stopped immediately.

'Are you okay?'

'Oh yes. If you keep doing this, I really don't know how I can possibly wait several more months, though.'

'Should I stop?'

The velvety voice, directed straight into her ear in a murmur, turned her insides into liquid goo. 'God no. Please.'

'We should really go out and do some work, you know…'

Work. Oh yeah. They weren't here on holiday, were they? Valkyrie winced; she had all but managed to forget about the case.

'Oh. Damn. What time is it?'

He let go of her, paying no attention to the whimper that escaped her, and dug his phone out of the pocket of his jacket which he'd spread out on the back of the chair earlier. 'Quarter past eleven.'

'And we wanted to be there at ten.'

'That was the original plan.'

'Damn. I'm sorry about this.'

'Don't be.' He tilted his head. 'The case can wait a little longer. And I've noticed you've been distracted lately; I didn't know what was causing it, but I assume it was this, wasn't it?'

'I tried to keep it from being too obvious, but it's hard to hide things from you.'

'You weren't being obvious. I really had no idea you were feeling this way about me. I just noticed something was bothering you. I'm glad it's out in the open now.'

'So am I.' She looked at her partner, his shirt all rumpled from their last kiss, and grinned. Outside a fight, she'd never seen Skulduggery so _untidy _before. She decided she really liked that look on him. 'We must do this more often, though. It suits you, that messy look.'

'Messy?'

Skulduggery got out of the bed, switched on the lights, opened the wardrobe door and took a long look at himself in the mirror. 'Hmm.' He straightened the shirt. 'I should really change it – just look at the creases!'

'We're going out in the dark, Skulduggery. On a stake-out. No one's going to see it – no one but me, that is, and I happen to think it looks great.'

'If you say so.' He didn't sound convinced.

'I do say so.' She got out of the bed as well. 'So, shall we go?'

Skulduggery gave her a long, pointed look. 'I might be fine with the clothes I have on, but I do think you should change into something else.'

Valkyrie rolled her eyes. 'I was going to, actually.'

She picked up her clothes. For a moment, she considered changing right there, in front of him, just to see his reaction, but the sensible part of her mind won. She'd got more from him tonight than she'd really, truly, realistically expected; she didn't want to push him and risk jeopardising the progress she'd made.

She brushed her teeth, used the toilet and got dressed in the small bathroom, all the while trying to fight the grin that refused to leave her face. Finally she gave up the struggle and hoped that Skulduggery wouldn't mind – it was all his fault, after all, that she was grinning like a lunatic and that her heart was doing little somersaults in her chest.

She hadn't felt this light and wonderful in a long time. Not since finding out her true name, really.

She hoped this wouldn't be a bad omen. She was tired of being scared and miserable.

Maybe everything would work out after all. Maybe a relationship with Skulduggery would be the key that would stop the future the sensitives had seen from happening.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Here you go, brand new chapter! Sorry it took a little longer; work (and I do mean real work, with deadlines and stuff, and getting paid for it) is still busy so writing depends on not just how much time in the day I have left but on how tired I am, too. But I have no intention of abandoning this!

I still don't own any of the characters. ~weeps dramatically~

* * *

><p>They didn't take the Bentley to the stone circle. On a quiet night like this, if there was anyone there at the circle, they would have heard and seen the car and left well before Valkyrie and Skulduggery had any chance of spotting them.<p>

Instead, they walked, leaving the small hotel as soundlessly as possible, although Skulduggery had a façade on. When they'd reached a spot far enough from any houses, Skulduggery wrapped his arm around her waist and they rose up into the darkness.

She loved this – not as much, as the small, annoying voice in the back of her mind reminded her, as the whooshing around she'd done as Darquesse, but she told the voice to shut up. She loved the sensation of flying, and she loved the sensation of having Skulduggery's firm, bony arm encircling her. The latter more than made up for her normal self's inability to fly on her own.

Far too soon for Valkyrie's liking they touched down in a tiny clearing in the middle of a small thicket of trees a short distance away from the stone circle. For once, Skulduggery didn't let go of her immediately, and she leaned back into him with a satisfied sigh.

'I was going to ask you when you were planning to start teaching me how to fly,' she said, keeping her voice down, 'but now I'm not so sure I want to. I kind of like this, having you take me to places.'

'I wondered when you were going to ask me,' he murmured into her hair. 'To be honest, I don't think this is something that you are quite ready to master yet – your air manipulation skills are already impressive for someone who has had only six years of practice, but I was going to wait until you've gone through the surge. It should unlock more of your raw power. But I could certainly teach you some of the basics you will need. The theory behind it.'

She grinned. 'Theory's a bit boring…'

'Even when I'm the one teaching you?'

'Well… I tend to get lost in the sound of your voice, you know.'

'Really?'

'Mmm. Really. I could go on listening to you forever. Just don't ask me to tell you what words you were using.'

'I always use important words. But at least now I know why you always look so attentive and yet later exhibit complete ignorance about whatever knowledge I was trying to impart on you.'

She turned around and placed a kiss on his jaw. 'Hmm.'

'Hmm?'

'I wonder what this stuff is that the façade is made of. It doesn't _quite_ feel like skin, although it's a reasonably good imitation.'

'It's magical stuff.'

She laughed. 'You don't know either, I take it.'

'I told you, it's magical stuff. That's all you need to know.'

She stood up a little straighter – she wasn't going to stand on her tiptoes for it, even if he was quite a bit taller than she was – and tilted her head back, looking into the unfamiliar face. At least it was a good one; not that she could really see it well in the moonlight, but she had got a good glimpse before they left their room.

It was probably better that she couldn't see it. Less weird that way, kissing a face she'd never seen before in her life.

His lips were a little waxy and didn't feel entirely real – both a bit hard and squishy all at once – but as new experiences went, the kiss wasn't all that bad, considering.

Skulduggery kissed her back, chastely and hesitantly at first, but once she poked at his mouth with her tongue, his response became a lot more confident.

'So?' he asked when they finally pulled apart again.

Valkyrie considered for a moment. 'Not bad, but honestly, I think I almost prefer kissing you without the façade. I mean, this was more like a real kiss, or a normal kiss, or whatever you'd want to call it, but it was also a bit weird, you know? It's like I was kissing a random guy with odd skin. I knew it was you, but…'

'And it wasn't at all weird earlier?'

'Oh God, it was incredibly weird! And I liked that you could kiss me back now – I really liked that. You're a great kisser, by the way. But… When I was kissing you earlier, it gave me such a different sort of thrill, and I felt it right in my belly, and… yeah.'

He tilted his head.

'You're a strange girl, Valkyrie Cain.'

'I like being strange sometimes, at least when it's this kind of strange. It's fun.'

'That it is. By the way, are you ready to go to the scene of the crime now? Not that there has been a crime, or at least we don't know if there has, but I find it makes things more interesting if I think there's going to be reason to punch people.'

'I think I can manage. If you promise to kiss me again later on.'

'I believe that can be arranged.'

They moved through the trees, quietly now, side by side whenever the path was clear enough, which wasn't often; the rest of the time Valkyrie was happy to let Skulduggery lead and take care of any stray branches or undergrowth blocking their way.

When they reached the edge of the thicket, they had a clear view at the stone circle. It stood eerie in the moonlight; the stones casting shadows on the dark grass. It was quite abandoned, apart from a small group of sheep munching on the grass between the stones. One of them raised its head and seemed to look straight at them, even though they both made sure to stay behind trees.

'Should we go and check on the circle itself?' she whispered. 'Just to see if there's been any magic done there earlier tonight.'

Skulduggery was eyeing the sheep, a curious look on his face. 'I think not. Let's stay here for a while, see what happens, if anything.'

Valkyrie yawned and sat down on the grass, staying behind the tree she'd chosen. She wished they'd brought the picnic blanket with them, but at least her clothes kept the cold dampness of the grass and the prickles of the thorns in the undergrowth away.

xXx

The sky was pink when she opened her eyes again. Her legs and back were sore, but she felt refreshed and she was nice and warm…

Oh. There was a coat wrapped around her. And it was morning, wasn't it?

'Did you sleep well?' Skulduggery was still wearing his façade, but she didn't even have to look for the smirk on his face to tell that he was amused.

She stretched and got up. 'Yeah. Erm, sorry about this.'

'That's quite all right. I would have woken you up if anything interesting happened, but I have to admit that as stake-outs go, this one was duller than most.'

'You got bored?'

'Astoundingly so. At least I had my mind to entertain me.'

'Did the sheep do anything?'

'They munched on the grass. And then some of them wandered off, while others stood around, doing… well, nothing at all.'

Valkyrie pulled the coat tight around her shoulders. She didn't really need it for the warmth, especially now that she was awake again, but it smelled of Skulduggery and she enjoyed the comfort it offered.

'Are you planning to return the coat to me any time soon?'

'Not yet.'

He tilted his head. 'You've got dried grass and mud all over it.'

She raised an eyebrow. 'And that is my fault how exactly?'

'You fell asleep. I was forced to wrap it around you.'

'You could have just woken me up…'

He harrumphed. 'I was being kind.'

'Thank you. By the way, can we go and check on the site now? The sun is up, pretty much; if anyone did come around, they must have done it last night before we arrived.'

Skulduggery nodded. 'They did also have all evening, although the earlier reports suggest that any suspicious activity tends to take place between ten and midnight. But that may be just the suspicious activity that the locals have seen.'

'And if there is fire involved, it would be seen a lot more easily at night.'

'Quite.'

He stepped closer. 'Are you ready to give up my coat yet?'

'Why do you want it back anyway? You can't feel cold, can you?'

'Mostly because it looks dashing on me.'

She laughed and took the coat off. 'It does, doesn't it? Here, take it so I can admire the way you wear it.'

'Thank you.'

She reached out and touched his cheek. 'It still feels weird.'

'The fake skin? Or that we are – whatever it is we are now?'

'Both. And I don't know either. What are we? Can I call you my boyfriend now?'

Skulduggery winced. 'That word makes me think of spotty teenaged brats. Or Fletcher. Which is the same thing, really.'

'You really don't need to insult him any more, you know. He's not a threat.'

'He was never a threat. I just liked insulting him.'

She rolled her eyes. 'You're really not a very good role model, you know.'

'Thank you.'

'That wasn't exactly a compliment.'

'Seeing as I've never attempted to be a good role model, it's as good as one.'

'You're incorrigible.'

'It _is_ one of my talents.'

She grinned and pulled him closer to kiss him. 'I really like doing this,' she said, once they'd pulled apart again. 'I hope you don't mind, because I plan to do this a lot from now on.'

'I don't mind. Really.'

She slipped her hand into his. 'I'm ready to go and look for some clues now. Or evidence. Whatever the case may be.'

They strolled to the stone circle, hand in hand. It felt wonderful – everything felt wonderful. The sunrise painting the sky in muted pinks and blues, the soft breeze playing with her hair, the sweet scent of early summer grass, the gloved hand in hers… She wondered if this was what being in love was like. She didn't know; not really. She'd thought, for a short while, that she was in love with Fletcher, and being with Fletcher had made her happy, but even in the best of times, she'd never felt quite _fulfilled_. Satisfied. Not wanting to be anywhere else, with anyone else.

Right now, right here, she had everything she wanted.

'You do know you just stepped into a pile of sheep poop, yes?'

She stopped and checked the sole of her boot. 'Eww.'

'I thought you'd like to know.'

'Shut up. And wipe that smirk off your face. It looks really weird on you.'

'Now, Valkyrie, it's hardly my fault you weren't looking where you were going.'

'I was too distracted to pay attention. By you, I may add.'

'I only held your hand.'

'My point exactly.'

'Lift your foot up.'

'Um, what? Why?'

'Just lift it up. A bit more… That's good. Hold it like this for a moment.'

He twisted his hand, his fingers splayed, an intense look of concentration on his face. Valkyrie felt moisture disappear from the air around her, and a split second later a strong spray hit the sole of her boot.

'There. As good as new.' Skulduggery sounded very pleased with himself.

She checked the boot. It was so clean it shined.

'Thanks. You're handy to have around, I must admit. Even if it was your fault to start with.'

He grabbed her and pulled her towards him, and before Valkyrie could react, his gloved hands were under her jacket, on her sides, tickling her. She couldn't help but laugh, nearly doubling over, hit his chest with her forehead, and they both toppled down on the grass, his hat falling off and landing beside them.

She had to wait a moment to catch her breath. 'I hope, for your sake, that we didn't land on some more piles.'

'I'm sure we didn't. I had the foresight to check this spot before I attacked you, just in case this happened.'

'Oh. Good.' She eyed him. 'You know, we're both lying down here, and there's no one else around, and—'

'You're a very pushy young woman, aren't you?'

She gave him a slight push. 'Yes. Yes, I am.'

'That doesn't change the fact that you're still not eighteen yet.'

'I was hoping you'd forgotten.'

He raised an eyebrow – a skill he'd been working on lately; she'd seen him practice in front of the mirror with various façades on. 'We only talked about it a few hours ago.'

She shrugged. 'That was a long time ago. I'm much older already. Really.'

'You're going to keep trying, aren't you?'

'I am.'

'I wouldn't expect anything less from you. I'm still not going to give in, you know.'

She sighed, bent down, gave him a quick kiss and jumped to her feet. 'I know. Here.' She offered him her hand. 'Get up and let's go and check out that circle.'

'We're taking an inordinately long time to get there.'

'I've noticed. Are we in a hurry?'

'Not really.'

'Good. Wouldn't want to make the Grand Mage thing we're slacking off on the job, after all.'

xXx

'Hmm.' The rainbow dust, lightly sprinkled on the ground, was a pinkish yellow this time.

'This tells me that magic has been performed here. Yes?'

'It has indeed.' Skulduggery crouched down and poked at the dust with his finger. 'Well, to be more exact, magic has _happened_ here. With or without intent; hard to tell. I'd almost say it happened only half an hour ago, though…'

'We were here half an hour ago.'

'Yes, we were. Although some of us were only here in body, not in spirit.'

'You were the one who let me sleep.'

'I was, however, paying attention. And there was no one here.'

'Apart from the sheep.'

'Apart from the sheep.'

'Skulduggery… I know I was joking yesterday, but… Is there a possibility of there being _magical_ sheep?'

Skulduggery pushed his hat slightly upwards. 'I must admit I haven't come across any so far in my rather long and eventful life. But stranger things _have_ happened.'

'Is there any way we could find out? Anyone to ask?'

He hesitated. 'I suppose we could ring Ghastly, ask him to make some inquiries in the Sanctuary. There may be some information there.'

'What about China?' She winced as soon as the words left her mouth.

'What about China?' His voice was as smooth as ever, but his body went completely still for a moment. 'Her library is gone. She's no use to us.'

'She might still know something.' Valkyrie touched his arm. 'Look… I'm sorry. I know you don't want to have anything to do with her any more. I can give her a call; you don't need to.'

'No.' He looked at her. 'My relationship with China can never go back to the way it was, for more than one reason now. I don't think I can consider her a friend, now or in the foreseeable future. But it would be hypocritical of me to shun her completely forever. There's a part of me that is always going to hate her for what she did – a big part of me. I can't forgive her for that, not ever; it's far, far, far too personal. She didn't just play a part in trapping and killing my family; what she did also led directly to my own capture and death. But… You know what I did in my past, and… I'm not Lord Vile now. I'm not even the Skulduggery Pleasant I was for several years immediately after my return from death. And China now is not the China of three and a half centuries ago.'

'Yeah. She told me she regretted it, you know.'

'Did she?' He paused for a moment. 'If she did say that… I actually believe her.'

'Are you going to give her another chance?'

'I gave her another chance a long time ago. This… When Eliza Scorn told us what she'd done, it changed things, and yet… It was a long time ago. It was something that happened before I gave her another chance, wasn't it? I mean, I had no idea she'd been involved directly, but I did know she'd been on Mevolent's side – after all, I fought with her, on that same side, for five years. Fought with her, killed with her, drank in the death and destruction she wrought by my side. I've always known what she's capable of, what she's done in her past.'

'And yet you forgave her for all that.'

'Yes. It's much easier when it's not personal.' He tilted his head. 'You and China – you had become friends, hadn't you?'

'As much as anyone can be friends with China.'

'And yet you gave up that friendship for me.'

'It was hard to remain friends with her after that. As you said, it's easier when it's not personal.'

'But by now… you'd like that friendship back, wouldn't you?'

She sighed. 'I was so angry with you when Tenebrae told me about you. So, so angry. Frustrated. Disappointed. Hurt. And yet, in spite of learning who you were, what you'd done, that Ghastly's mother… well, you know… You were my friend, and I couldn't just throw that away. I suppose it's a bit like that with China. It shocked me, and it hurt, but it's not really all that different in some ways, is it?'

'No, it's not.'

'With Tanith still, well… I do have you, but I like having a friend for the girly stuff as well sometimes.'

'If you wish, I can make an effort to be civil to China. To re-establish some sort of relationship with her, if only to use her admittedly vast knowledge about all kinds of magical matters, myths and legends and history.'

'You'd do that for me?'

'And for myself, too, to be honest. Now that the first urge to kill her has passed, I've found myself wondering at times if it's wise to avoid her forever.'

'So it's simply out of self-interest that you'd be willing to talk to her again.'

'But of course.' He grinned. 'You should still make that call though. I think it might be better – make more of an impact – if I visited her in person. With you there, of course, to make sure nothing untoward happens.'

She went quiet for a moment. 'Is there a risk of that?'

'I meant strangling her, actually.'

'Oh. Good. I suppose.'

'Valkyrie…' His voice was serious. 'China and I are over. For good. Whether this thing between you and me works out or not, this thing I had with China… It's in the past now.'

'Yeah. Yeah, I know. I'm not usually this insecure, you know.'

'I know.' He pulled her into a hug. 'You're the bravest, most confident, most wonderful girl I've known. '

'But not the most beautiful?'

'You've met China, haven't you?' He sounded amused. 'You _are_ beautiful, Valkyrie. But that's not why I… That's not why I've come to care for you so much, not the main reason anyway. You're so much more to me than that.'

She wrapped her arms around him, glad that she could once again enjoy his hugs without feeling awkward and guilty about it.

'I'll talk to China, then, ask her what she knows about sheep. And when we're done here, we can go and pay her a visit, together.'

'That's a good plan.'


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Here you are - sorry for the delay. I've had very little time to write this week, and I don't expect things to get any easier in the coming weeks, so my updating pace will unfortunately have to slow down.

I still don't own anything but any mistakes I've made.

* * *

><p>'China says she's heard rumours that there are sorcerers who can turn into sheep, but that they've apparently always kept to themselves, and thus she doesn't really know anything else. Or even whether that is true or not.'<p>

Skulduggery was quiet for a moment. 'Hmm.'

'It sounds a bit ridiculous, doesn't it? Why would anyone want to do that?'

Skulduggery shrugged. 'There are sorcerers who like to turn into spiders. Why not sheep?'

'True… Although at least with the Children of the Spider, I can sort of understand why they'd want that ability. It's pretty handy in a fight.' Valkyrie shuddered. She wasn't _afraid_ of spiders, but she certainly didn't care for them – especially the kind the Children of the Spider used in fights. Or the kind the Torment could turn into.

'Maybe there are people who don't _want_ to fight? Or to have any special abilities useful in fights?' Skulduggery sounded doubtful even as he said that. 'I know, it does sound strange – who wouldn't want to punch people, or maim them, or kill them? But I've come across people with entirely useless Adept powers before.'

'People who just want to munch on grass and say _Baa_?'

'As I've said before, stranger things have happened.'

Valkyrie rolled her eyes. 'I suppose people _are_ strange. But even if we are actually dealing with sheep-people – sheeple? – then that still doesn't explain all the odd happenings. Why would they be using magic in a stone circle?'

'Some sort of sheep-people early summer ritual?'

'Now you're just making things up, aren't you?'

'Considering we don't even know for certain that sheep-people exist, well, yes. But I can't see why they shouldn't have early summer rituals. Other people do. Maybe they like to have midnight orgies in ancient places of worship, become one with the nature?'

'Eww.'

'Sorry.'

'Are you?'

'Well, not really.'

'It's just, well, I don't really want to think about sheep doing, you know, that.'

Skulduggery nodded. 'You're a modern girl, and you didn't grow up on a farm. I understand; this must all be terribly new and strange to you.'

'It is when you consider these might be people disguised as sheep.'

'Everyone needs a hobby.'

She groaned. 'Could we talk about something else?'

'Of course. We could always talk about me, and how amazing I am.'

She punched him lightly on the arm. 'I was thinking about breakfast, actually. I'm starving.'

'There should be some chocolate in the Bentley.'

'The Bentley's back at the B&B. We can just as well have breakfast there. Well, I can.'

'We should probably get back to the village then.'

'We probably should.'

'We should probably walk. At this hour, there are probably people up and about.'

'You don't sound very enthusiastic.'

Valkyrie sighed. 'I prefer flying.'

'It's a nice day. And walking's good for you.'

'It's just, well, boring.'

'Even in my company?'

'Hmm, you may have a point there. And it is a nice day, isn't it? How far from the village are we, anyway?'

'Half an hour's walk, no more. Weren't you paying attention yesterday?'

'I was distracted.'

'Ah.'

She took his gloved hand and gave it a squeeze. 'Come on then, let's get going before I collapse from hunger. Unless there's anything else you wanted to check on here.'

'I think we've got all the information possible. We do need to return later, though.'

'I don't suppose we could fix a camera or something on a tree, could we? If we keep coming back, and if the sheep are the culprits, they're not going to do anything when we're there.'

Skulduggery tilted his head. 'A camera is not a bad idea. I may have one in the Bentley, actually.'

'A camera?'

'A security camera. With all the wires and, well, other things one needs.'

'Why do you carry a security camera with you?'

He rolled the blue eyes his façade had given him this time. 'I'm a detective, and I'm very good at what I do, in case you haven't noticed. I like to be prepared.'

'Can you even install a camera?'

'I should think so. How difficult can it be?'

Valkyrie didn't think it would be too easy, but if Skulduggery said he could do it… Well, she could always point and laugh at him if he failed. Or perhaps hug him. Yes. That sounded like the better option, even if it was fun to tease him, too. A hug, and then perhaps some more kissing, and…

She sighed. It was going to be a long few months.

xXx

She felt considerably more refreshed after a quick shower, even though she'd found to her dismay that she had two dry leaves – probably hiding in the thicket since last autumn – and some grass stuck in her hair, which Skulduggery, of course, had neglected to mention. At least they hadn't met anyone on the way back, so she didn't need to feel too embarrassed.

They had breakfast in the tiny breakfast room, with a family and a middle-aged couple there before them. Skulduggery had a cup of coffee in front of him, which he pushed over to Valkyrie when she was done with her own.

'So, what's the plan?' she asked, lingering over the last bit of yoghurt. 'We drive back to the stone circle, make sure there's no one around, including the sheep – just in case – and you fix the camera to a tree? And then we leave?'

'Sounds like a good plan to me.'

'And if there are people – or sheep – around?'

'Then we drive around some more and enjoy the beautiful day. I'm sure there is something to see around here.' He paused for a moment. 'I hope so, anyway. God I hope so.'

'Afraid of getting bored?'

'Maybe we'll find someone we can punch. Break up a fight, or something.'

'Or we could just have a picnic somewhere again.'

'That we could.'

'You're not very good at this whole holiday thing, are you?'

Skulduggery smiled. She still hadn't got used to how strange that looked on him. 'I can't remember when I last had a holiday. Possibly right after the war ended. I don't think it lasted long, though; maybe a few hours. Then I got bored.'

'We should have a proper holiday somewhere. Maybe go somewhere in Europe together. Do sightseeing, play tourists, keep busy.'

'I wouldn't mind that.'

'Really?'

He gave a slight shrug. 'It's not the idea of a holiday that I mind.'

'You just need constant distraction.'

'See, you do listen to me sometimes, don't you?'

She grinned. 'Only sometimes. But I agree. This is nice, but I'm so used to, well, doing stuff all the time, that the idea of doing nothing for several days, apart from keeping an eye on a place where something may or may not be happening, is just, you know…'

'I know. Believe me, I know.'

'What do you do at home when we're not on a case and you don't have me there to distract you? Or when we're not training or you're not teaching me magic?' She kept her voice low, making sure that her words couldn't be overheard.

Skulduggery tilted his head. 'You know, I don't think you've actually ever asked me that before.'

She felt a bit guilty. 'Fletcher told me I'm selfish. Self-absorbed. I guess he had a point. I mean, I have wondered about it before, but it's usually when you're not around, and then by the time I'm with you again, we always have something else to do, and then I just forget, as it's never seemed all _that_ important…'

'It's fine. Really. You don't need to explain. I mean, I _am_ a little insulted that you've taken so little interest in me, considering what a fascinating person I am, but it's fine.'

She winced. 'Ouch. I guess I deserved that.'

'I'm joking.'

'You are?'

'Of course. I got over the being insulted by it thing ages ago. Months, in fact.'

'You're so silly.'

'And yet that doesn't seem to stop you from wanting to do unmentionable things with my person.'

'I must be out of my mind…'

'See, I told you that you'd come to your senses and realise that.'

'Don't get your hopes up. Just because I realise I'm out of my mind, doesn't mean I don't want to do – what was it? Unmentionable things with your person? Because I do.'

He pulled his chair a bit closer and rested his elbows on the table, leaning closer to her. 'I'm a skeleton, Valkyrie. A charming, sophisticated, suave, intelligent, witty, daring, spectacularly good-looking skeleton with an impeccable dress sense, I admit, not to mention modest, but a skeleton nonetheless. Get these clothes off me, and I'll look like – well, something you might find hanging in a cupboard in your biology classroom. You can't possibly find that appealing.'

Valkyrie wanted to reach out and touch his shoulder. 'You're not just a skeleton, you know.'

'Physically, I am.'

She hesitated for a moment, fiddling with her spoon. 'Did I… Did I ever mention that, when we were fighting the Jitter Girls, and Darquesse came out… Did I mention that she saw you? I mean that she saw your consciousness. The real you.'

'Did she? No, you didn't mention it.'

'It was all a bit foggy at the time, when she went away and left me in control again – I was confused and disoriented for a bit, and I only got the chance to sort through some of what she saw and did later. But yeah, anyway, she did. And it was…'

'Spectacular?'

She grinned. 'Yes. It was, actually. It was shimmering all around you – all around the bones, I mean – sort of like an effervescent shell. It sparkled, actually.'

'I sparkle,' Skulduggery repeated, doubt clear in his voice.

'You sparkle. Sorry, but it's true.'

'Well. I can't say I ever expected to be told that, to be honest.'

'It was very pretty.' She paused for a moment, not sure if she should continue or not. 'Darquesse likes you, you know. She finds you intriguing.'

'I'm not entirely sure I should take that as a compliment. But at least she has good taste.'

'She liked Vile, too. A lot. A bit too much, really.' She wrinkled her nose. 'But you as well.'

He looked at her. 'Don't tell me this is all because Darquesse took a fancy for me.'

'No!' She looked around, but no one was paying attention to them. 'No, it's not that. I mean, yeah, knowing that – well, _that_ part of me finds you fascinating, that's something that's been lurking in the back of my mind for a while, but no, it's not why I'm, um, taking an interest. I just mentioned that because she saw the real you, the part that makes you _you_ and not just a heap of old bones, and it was so beautiful. And it means I can't ever see you as _just_ a skeleton, not even physically, because I know what's around those bones, even if I can't see it normally.'

'So you fancy me because I sparkle.'

He sounded amused, so she just grinned and shook her head. 'Yes, if that makes you convinced that I do, in fact, fancy you, then I agree. It's all because you sparkle.'

'I can't say that I'm entirely convinced yet, but adding a sparkling shell to my sparkling personality – well, yes, I suppose I can see why you'd fall head over heels for me. It's a wonder it took you so long, really.'

'What can I say? I'm a bit slow at times.'

'Yes. Yes, you are.'

'Oh, shut up.'

'You are aware that it's practically impossible to get me to shut up, yes?'

'Oh, I am. Believe me, I've noticed.' She looked around. They were the last people left in the breakfast room. 'Anyway, now that we've established why I fancy you, and now that I'm finally done with my yoghurt, we should probably leave.'

They passed the elderly landlady on their way out. She gave them a clearly disapproving look but didn't say anything.

Valkyrie sighed once they were outside. 'She probably thinks I'm after your money and that you're some sort of middle-aged pervert who takes advantage of young girls, seducing them with your fancy car and cool looks.'

'That is probably the way it would look to an outsider, yes. Does it bother you?' he asked, unlocking the Bentley's doors.

She climbed in, fastened the seat belt and shrugged. 'I can deal with it. I don't like it, and I don't like to be judged, especially when she's wrong – although I do have to say that you used to impress me when I was younger, especially with the Bentley, although I tried to make sure you wouldn't know, so maybe there's a point there somewhere – but it's none of her business anyway.'

'You do realise that this is the way most people would be viewing us, yes? Those who don't know either of us?'

'I don't care what strangers think of us. Not much, anyway.'

'And the people who do know us?'

'They'll understand. And those who won't, well, why should I care about what they think?'

'So you wouldn't want to hide our relationship? If we were to have one?'

She considered the question, while he climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. 'China will probably know anyway – she'd only need to take one look at me and work it out. But then she said she knew it already, that it would happen one day. You and me, that is.'

Skulduggery harrumphed and manoeuvred the Bentley onto the road. 'Ghastly is not going to be happy about this.'

'I know.' Valkyrie was silent for a bit, staring out of the window. 'Are you suggesting we should keep this a secret?'

'Not unless you want to. To be honest, I don't think I'd be comfortable about flaunting it in public – there are already plenty of people whispering behind our backs about the nature of our partnership and I don't think we need to egg them on, and I prefer to keep my private life private, in any case, but I don't think we should hide it from our closest friends.'

'And you're prepared to lose Ghastly's good opinion about you?'

'He'll come around eventually. He won't approve, but he'll know that this isn't any of his business.'

'Gordon should know, too,' Valkyrie said. 'He'd find out sooner or later.'

'Agreed. Do you want to tell him or should I?'

'I can do it myself.' She sighed. 'I can't introduce you to my parents, can I.'

He slowed down to let an oncoming tractor pass. 'Not unless you feel like doing a lot of explaining, no. I hate to say this, but Fletcher did have his advantages.'

'He did.'

Skulduggery looked at her. 'Did you regret it? Breaking up with him?'

'A bit. I regret how it happened, and maybe that it happened when it did, and I regret that I hurt him so much he felt he had to leave completely, but it was never going to work in the long run. I was fond of him, he was a good friend, he was always good to me, but…'

'There's always that _but_, isn't there.'

'The things I couldn't tell him – the things I can't tell anyone else but you and Gordon – they're just too big. I don't think he'd have understood. At best, he'd have pretended to, maybe even tried to understand, but he would never really have _got_ it. At worst, he'd have hated me forever.'

'He wouldn't have hated you. You cheated on him with a vampire and he still didn't hate you.'

'Yes, well… it's not really something I could have risked, telling him just to find out his reaction.'

'You told me.'

'You knew something was going on. But yeah, I'd already decided I'd tell you anyway.' She smiled, if a little bitterly. 'Who knows how things would have turned out if I hadn't found out there's a genocidal maniac hiding inside my brain.'

'You and Fletcher would have broken up anyway.'

'I know.' She sighed. 'But maybe not like that. And… If it hadn't been for Darquesse, I'd never have asked Caelan to taste my blood, and he'd never have fixated on me like that, and I wouldn't have cheated on Fletcher with him…'

'Caelan was fast becoming obsessed with you well before that. Probably already when you first asked him for help.' He put his gloved hand on her arm. 'Guilt is a powerful emotion, Valkyrie, and in this case, justified, but you have to put it past you at some point. You did some things which were less than admirable. You hurt Fletcher. You cannot undo those things now – all you can do is learn from them, and avoid doing them again.'

'Sometimes you actually sound all wise and stuff.'

'Of course I do. Wisdom comes naturally to me.'

'Wasn't this where we were supposed to turn left?'

'Oh. Yes.' Skulduggery braked, turned around and drove back. 'This was just a test, of course, to see if you were paying attention to your surroundings.'

xXx

Skulduggery stood back and admired his handiwork. Valkyrie had to admit that he certainly knew what he was doing – the camera, no bigger than her fist, was fastened securely to the tree growing closest to the stone circle, high enough that sheep wouldn't get to it. He even tied some small branches around it to hide it from sight.

'It's a good thing the sheep aren't here,' she remarked. 'If they'd been here, they'd know what we're up to.'

'Mm-hm,' he said, poking the screen of his phone with a specially altered stylus, which managed to imitate the touch of a bare finger. 'I think it needs a minor adjustment… Can you go and push the camera very slightly to the right? Five degrees, no more?'

She did so. 'Better?'

'Much better. Come and see.'

She was impressed. The camera feed was nice and clear on Skulduggery's phone. 'I've set it so that we can check on the live feed whenever we want, but it's only recording a still image every 15 seconds,' he explained. 'That should be enough to capture evidence of suspicious activity.'

'Sounds good to me. So we don't need to spend the night here again, do we?'

'You're missing that nice bed in the hotel, aren't you?'

'It was rather nice, yes. Especially compared to the tree I fell asleep next to last night.'

'When I was young, we were lucky if we got a tree to use as a pillow.'

She stepped closer, undid his top shirt button and tapped the symbols to make his façade disappear. 'I think I've found a way to make you stop saying silly things.' She grinned, and when he wrapped his arms around her, she kissed him right on his teeth.

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><p>Comments are, as always, appreciated!<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Still not mine. Apart from any possible mistakes, that is, which I'm still claiming as mine, all mine! MWAHAHAHA!

Comments, as always, appreciated.

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><p>They spent the day driving around the beautiful countryside, stopping here and there for meals or just to walk around and stretch their legs. In the afternoon, Skulduggery insisted on spending a few hours on Valkyrie's training. She grumbled about it for a bit but that was mostly for show – she liked her lessons with him, especially the practical ones.<p>

They found a small clearing, surrounded by trees and well away from any roads or prying eyes.

'Magic first?' Skulduggery asked. 'Or would you prefer fighting?'

'Magic first, I think.' She thought for a moment. 'We should probably go relatively easy on the fighting today. It might look suspicious if I come back to the B&B all bruised or bloody.'

Skulduggery had never seriously injured her in all their training sessions; she knew he was careful not to hurt her any more than was necessary. Still, bruises and scrapes – easily remedied when one had a shower and some healing rock at hand – were generally impossible to avoid.

'Hmm. Yes. Good point.' He picked up a branch and drew a circle on the ground. 'I think it's time for some more water manipulation, in that case. Practice separating the moisture from the air, so that the ground within this circle gets wet, but try to keep yourself dry.'

Valkyrie made a face. 'Can't we do air instead? Water is _boring_.'

'You get into trouble in water often enough; one would think you'd appreciate having more control over it.'

He had a point, as always. And she knew it was a useful skill to have.

'How about a bit of water and then you'll teach me the basics of flying?'

Skulduggery tilted his head. 'Didn't we just talk about this yesterday?'

'Oh yeah. Have to wait until the surge.' She stepped into the circle Skulduggery had drawn and raised her hands, when a thought occurred to her. 'You're not just withholding the flying from me on purpose, are you? To make sure I pick Elemental magic when the time comes? As a bribe, or something?'

'Would I do that?' His velvety voice sounded perfectly innocent. Too innocent. 'I admit, the thought has crossed my mind,' he said after a moment's pause. 'But it's not that, for two reasons – first, I don't think any single Elemental skill is going to tempt you enough, not even flying, unless you're actually willing to commit to Elemental magic, and second, as I said, I don't think your current level of power, when you're you and not Darquesse, is sufficient for it. Have you given the choice any thought lately, by the way?'

'A bit.' Quite a lot of thought, in fact, more than she cared to admit. 'I really don't know. I mean, I know what I _should_ pick – what you'd want me to pick, and what the right choice would be, especially now that the Necromancers are hated and feared more than ever.'

Skulduggery looked at her. 'What I want doesn't matter. It has to be your choice; something you'll need to be happy with for the rest of your life. I know the thrill that wielding the Necromancy powers can give you. I _know_. As much fun as flinging fireballs is, it can't really compare to that. And if you choose Necromancy, I will understand. But will you be happy with that choice, for ever?'

She fingered her ring. 'I don't know. I really don't. It's just such a big part of me, and… I can't help thinking that it's more me than Elemental magic is. It came naturally to me. So much easier. And it's saved my life, and it helped me save you…'

'It's done its duty, in that case. Hasn't it?'

She shrugged. She didn't want to argue with him about it, not again, especially when she knew his arguments made so much more sense than her own, and when all that she had was this vague, disturbing but insistent feeling inside her, telling her how much she would miss that part of her if it was lost to her forever.

'Maybe I won't need to choose.'

'It's possible.' He looked down. 'You and I, we're alike in so many ways, more so than I would ever have wished. By now, I wouldn't be surprised if you were indeed one of those rare few of us who can keep doing both. But you cannot count on it.'

'I know.'

'You have to make that choice, in your mind. When the day comes, you'll need to be prepared – if it comes down to picking one over the other, you must know which one it is.'

'I know. If I even live that long.'

'Valkyrie.' He stepped closer to her. 'Darquesse is not going to win. You've stopped her before. You will do so again.'

'Never without your help, though.'

'And I will be there for you the next time, and the next, and as many times as it takes.'

'Always?'

'Until the end.'

'Skulduggery…' She hesitated, the planned training all but forgotten. 'Last year, with Melancholia… When you turned into Vile, and I was Darquesse… We never really talked about it at the time, did we? But… You turned back into yourself at some point, when we were still fighting, didn't you? When you stopped me – Darquesse – from hurting that taxi driver, and taking down the helicopter… That was you in charge already, yes? Not Vile?'

'Yes.'

'Is there some way to gain control? Consciously, I mean? Because I never have – every time, Darquesse has just withdrawn on her own.'

'Honestly? I don't know how it works. I'm sorry about throwing you through all those windows, by the way.'

'It's okay.' She laughed. 'I mean, if it had been _me_ you were doing that to, I don't think I'd be fine with it, but Darquesse – well, she could certainly take that and more, it would seem.'

She raised her hand, spread her fingers. Focused on the moisture in the air. It took a lot of concentration, and a lot of effort, but she managed to do what Skulduggery had wanted her to do, if not perfectly. Darquesse could have done it in the blink of an eye, without as much as noticing it.

'That power… Why can't _I_ access it? I know my true name. I've had it sealed. Why does _she_ get to use it all and not _me_?'

'I wish I knew.' Skulduggery crouched down to inspect the ground. 'You've done well. The ground is almost uniformly wet.'

There was something she had wanted to ask him before, but there had never been a good time. 'Do _you_ know your true name? It's not Lord Vile, isn't it? I mean, Tenebrae said you took that name. But when we were fighting, and you were in control already, _you_ had all that power, enough to match Darquesse.'

Skulduggery stood up, straightened his back and looked at her, the sunlight reflecting off his skull. 'I know it, yes. And yes, it's not Lord Vile. Tenebrae was correct; that was just another name I took.'

'You're not going to tell me what it is, are you?'

'I'm sorry.' He sounded genuinely apologetic. 'I found out after I died. Sealing it… would have been complicated.'

'Oh. Right. No heart.'

'No heart to cut out and carve little symbols on, indeed.'

'So you cannot tell anyone.'

'No. I'm sorry, Valkyrie. If I could, I'd tell you.'

She nodded. 'I understand.'

'It's not…' He hesitated. 'Valkyrie, I trust you. Completely. But telling you… that would also mean telling Darquesse, as well as telling your reflection. Frankly, I wouldn't be comfortable with either of them knowing it.'

She shuddered, thinking of the implications. 'I know. I wouldn't want them to know either.'

'Good. I mean,' he continued, 'I don't know how it works with me – as I'm already dead, and have no heart, does it mean it's as good as sealed? Is that why I can have access to all my power, apparently? I have no idea – I found it out before I turned into Vile and found that I had all those vast reserves of Necromancy power I could tap into; powers that I hadn't dreamed about before.'

'But it's not something you could risk putting to test.'

'No. No, it's not.'

'Any other big secrets you're still hiding from me?'

He laughed. 'A few. That was probably the biggest one, though.'

She nodded. She didn't like it, knowing that there were still so many things about Skulduggery that she didn't know, especially when he knew everything there was to know about her. Well, almost everything. She'd never told him just how much she was tempted sometimes… tempted by the power, that sheer, exhilarating force of raw magic flowing through her veins when Darquesse was in charge; that sometimes she wished she could just… give in to it all.

She had a feeling he knew, anyway. He always seemed to know. And if anyone would understand it, that temptation, he would.

And he was four hundred years older than she was. He was bound to have secrets. Even if he wanted to tell her _everything_, it would probably take a century just to recount them all, and most of them were probably boring anyway.

And some of them, the ones that weren't boring… She understood why he wouldn't want to tell her, even if she didn't like it – the not knowing, not being told. Take this thing with China, for example – if he'd told her about that, when she was still a child, how would she have reacted? With an _eww_, probably, and yes, now that she'd had a few days to think about it, it would likely have changed the way she thought about both Skulduggery and China.

Would her friendship with her skeletal mentor have become what it was – so effortless, so genuine, so trusting – if she'd known he was, well, whatever it was he had been doing with China? Probably not. Would her relationship have suffered if she'd learned about his past as Lord Vile, mass-murderer extraordinaire, when she was younger? She wished she could say that no, it wouldn't have, but… what if she needed that extra time with him, the time that helped to make sure that when she finally found out, they could deal with it? It had been a close call as it was.

And as much as she wished he trusted her enough to share his true name with her, she also knew that in Skulduggery's place, she'd have acted the same way. She hadn't even told him before she had her name sealed, and his reasons for not sharing it with her were far more solid than hers had been.

Thus she simply nodded, and accepted it. If there was anything she truly _should_ know, he'd tell her. At some point.

She had to accept it, just as she had to accept that he had a past – a very, very long past – that she could never be a part of.

Being involved with boys was so much simpler. Not that simple was always the best choice, as she was coming to realise – and that was a good thing. A relationship with Skulduggery, which she was now very certain about wanting, would be a lot of things, but simple wouldn't be one of them.

xXx

Skulduggery checked on the stone circle on his phone before they headed back to their B&B. Nothing suspicious seemed to be happening; there weren't even any sheep around.

'We may have scared them off,' she suggested.

'It's possible.'

'Do you think they'll return at all tonight?'

'Who knows? As far as I know, there wasn't activity reported there every night before Erskine sent us over either, so perhaps they just don't congregate more than a few times a week. We can keep checking on the feed and go by again tomorrow, if nothing interesting seems to be happening there.'

'Sounds like a good plan,' she muttered, hiding a yawn behind her hand. It had been a long and exhausting day. 'I like mysteries, I do, but…'

'You like your mysteries a bit more exciting?'

'Well, yes.'

'This could turn out to be very exciting, you know.'

'Are you just lying to me to cheer me up?'

'Would I do that?'

'Yes, you would.'

'Oh. You may have a point there.'

'I always have a point.' She yawned again. 'Right, shower. Don't do anything exciting without me.'

'You don't really sound like you'd be up to anything exciting tonight at all.'

'Just a bit sleepy, is all. Nothing I couldn't handle if something exciting did turn up.'

xXx

The shower was small and not very comfortable, the tiny showerhead fixed to the ceiling, but after a long and exhausting day, Valkyrie didn't complain.

Skulduggery was already in bed, propped up on a pillow and a book in hand. He'd removed his jacket, tie and shoes again but that was it. Valkyrie sighed.

'You have way too many clothes on for sleeping,' she said, climbing over him to get to her side of the bed. 'It's just not right. Have you ever considered pyjamas?'

'I had a nightgown when I was still alive.'

'Seriously? A nightie?' She tried to imagine Skulduggery wearing a nightgown – frilly? flowery? with lace, perhaps? – and grinned. 'Fashion's changed since then, you know.'

'I know. That's why I'm not wearing one these days. Well, that, and I don't really need one, what with not sleeping.'

'But when you meditate, wouldn't you feel more comfortable in something, well, less starched and pressed and ironed?'

He gave a slight shrug, putting the book down next to him. 'Not really. And I'd rather be prepared. Wouldn't really do to fight an intruder while wearing pyjamas, would it?'

'You're so weird.' She grinned and snuggled a little closer to him. 'I doubt the intruders would care, really. Although on the other hand… they might just stop to point and laugh at the great Skeleton Detective wearing pyjamas with little teddybears on them, for example, and that might give you an extra moment to take them down.'

'So you'd suggest I do that as a way to confuse the enemy?'

'Exactly! It's a brilliant strategy. I'm sure it would work.'

'I don't think these are, strictly speaking, night clothes either.' He pointed at her jersey and shorts. 'Why do you get to wear normal clothes to bed, or what passes for normal for young people these days, anyway, and I should wear pyjamas with teddybears?'

'Because it would make you look adorable?'

'You're pushing it, you know.'

'Sorry.'

'Are you?'

'Not really.' She reached out, fingered a button on his shirt. There was something she really wanted to do, but she had no idea how he'd react… Well, only one way to find out, she guessed, and undid the top button, moving down to the next one.

His gloved hand stopped hers. 'Clothes stay on.'

She almost felt like pouting. She never pouted. It just wasn't her.

'Fine. I wasn't actually planning to undress you. I know what we agreed to… well, what you declared would be a compromise. I just wanted to try something. Just a few buttons? Not even all the way down? Please?'

He tilted his head and looked at her, the dim little bedside lamp casting shadows on his skull. His eye sockets looked dark and bottomless.

'Very well. Just a few buttons. But if you're expecting to find a chiselled, muscular chest, I have to warn you that you're about three hundred and sixty five years too late. I did have one, you know – the finest chest you'd ever see on a man.'

'Of course you did.' She grinned. 'But no, don't worry. I think I have a pretty good idea what I'll be seeing. It's just that… Well… I've seen a lot of you before, but…' Limbs. She'd seen those a lot. She'd carried them around, tried to put them together, picked them off floors and ground. But his body? She'd only caught glimpses of that, through slashed clothes or the low neckline of those ridiculous robes Kenspeckle had always made him wear.

He let her hand go and she undid a few more buttons, willing her fingers not to tremble. It was weird, feeling so nervous about it. It was Skulduggery, after all. Her best friend; the only person in the world she trusted almost completely. And it wasn't as if she was going to do anything crazy or insane, like walking into her death.

She was only planning to… She wasn't sure what she was planning to do, really. Probably something really insane and at least as dangerous as battling a villain bent on destroying the world.

She parted his shirt with care. He was completely still, his ribcage, now in full view, not moving even the tiniest bit, although when she glanced up at him, she saw his eye sockets were trained at her. Feeling emboldened, she reached out and touched him, marvelling at how wonderfully smooth the bone felt – smooth, almost silky to the touch, and not nearly as cold as she'd imagined.

He remained still. She wondered what she was thinking. It was impossible to tell, as usual, but as he wasn't telling her to stop… She lowered her head and placed a kiss on the bone nearest to her.

Her lips tingled. Her whole body tingled. She couldn't believe how exhilarating it felt. The sleepiness was definitely gone for the moment; all she could think of was wanting more. She ran her fingers across his ribs – her fingertips tingled, too – trying to reach every part of him that she could, but taking care not to poke between the ribs. She'd have to ask him about that, but she had a suspicion it might hurt him.

She placed a kiss on the bone right over where she figured his heart would have been, had he still had it, when she felt his gloved fingers on her back. She stilled and looked up again.

'Should I stop? I mean… I'm sorry if I went too far.'

'It's OK.' His voice, usually so smooth, sounded a little rough. 'I thought… Kissing me, that's one thing, but—'

'You thought that I'd come to my senses and stop, once I've been reminded properly of what you are?' Valkyrie swallowed, forcing back the tears that were making her throat hurt. 'Do you really think that's all just a game for me, or what? Idle curiosity?'

Skulduggery shook his head. 'No. No, not that. I'm sorry.' He hesitated. 'I knew you were serious, but… Are you really not repulsed? Most women would be, by now.'

Something in his voice made her realise he was speaking from experience. 'I'm not most women. And I've never been repulsed by you. Never. I _know_ what you are. I've known for years. It doesn't matter, Skulduggery. It just doesn't. I mean, yes, it does to an extent, in that I have no real idea how to go about things, and I have no idea what you might like, and I don't even know what I would like before I've tried it, so it's all just a lot of stumbling in the dark for me, and there are things I'm absolutely not sure about, but… God, Skulduggery, I want you. Is that so hard for you to believe?'

'A month or two ago you would have found it hard to believe yourself, wouldn't you?'

'Well, yeah, but that was then.' She closed her eyes for a moment. 'Just believe me, okay?'


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Yay, another chapter! And I even have some vague ideas about the next one, although work promises to be extremely busy at least until the end of the year, so once again I have to say updates might be coming slower from now on.

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><p>Skulduggery let her explore his chest – well, ribcage – for a while, his fingers tracing idle patterns on Valkyrie's back.<p>

She wanted to go further, beyond what his open shirt had exposed, but she had a pretty good idea that he wouldn't let her. Slow. They had to take it slow. She'd thought at first that this was only because he was being a gentleman, not wanting to take advantage of her (and what an old-fashioned idea that was – enough to offend her a little, although she'd kept that to herself), but she was starting to realise that he insisted on it not just for her sake but his, too. Maybe even more for his own reasons.

Valkyrie had never known her skeletal friend be anything but self-assured, arrogant to the extreme. She hadn't really expected him to be insecure about anything.

She let her lips linger on his collarbone, tasted it with the tip of her tongue. He smelled clean and earthy, a lot like freshly washed laundry left to dry outside in the open air, but there was no particular taste to him.

She didn't know – couldn't tell – if he was so still just because he was always so still or if he was tense, afraid to move. Skulduggery, insecure. The very idea would have seemed preposterous before.

And he'd let her see those insecurities.

This, more than anything, was something that told Valkyrie he was serious about this. About her. About having feelings for her.

'What is it that you want, Valkyrie?' he asked eventually, his voice making her shiver. 'What sort of relationship are you after?'

She looked up, right into the dark eye sockets of his gleaming skull. 'Uh… You know, the sort we're having right now, just with more, uh…'

'We're partners. And friends. This will change things.'

She drew back. 'I was hoping it wouldn't change things too much. You're my partner and my best friend, and… that's going to stay that way, isn't it?'

He hesitated. 'Yes.'

Valkyrie thought about Fletcher, and how much she sometimes still missed having him around. 'Relationships can end, and take friendships with them. Is that what you mean?'

'Yes.'

She sighed.

'I've just been trying to work out _why_ you're doing this,' he said. 'Why me? Why now?'

'I've already told you.'

'Because I'm the only person who fully understands you.'

'Yeah.'

'We've been friends for years now. You've always been able to come to me, to talk or… well, for the understanding. Why add _this_ to what we had?'

'Because it wasn't enough.'

'You wanted more.'

'Yes.' She considered her words carefully, knowing that as open to this as he seemed, he could still push her away. 'I want… closeness, I suppose. God, it sounds cheesy when I put it like that, doesn't it? But it's what I want. Being friends is great, but… it's not enough. I want a relationship with someone I can share stuff with. I've been lying to people I love for years now. I've been lying to my parents, I've had to keep the biggest things about myself a secret from my boyfriends… I want someone I can be myself with, someone I don't need to lie to.'

'And I was the logical choice.'

She sighed again, exasperated. 'Yes. But it's… It's not just that. Can't you see it? I fancy you, Skulduggery. Your voice does these things to me, and when you tilt your head _just_ _so_ and look at me… I've been so turned on lately that I've been embarrassed to even look at you, sometimes.'

'Do you…' He cleared his throat. 'Do you have feelings for me?'

That was the big question, wasn't it? The one she'd been asking herself ever since the reflection's unexpected statement. She loved him, had loved him for years, but that wasn't what he was asking, was it? She didn't know if she even could put it into words – all those things that she felt for him. He was everything to her.

'Yes.' Well, that much was true. And she had to be honest with him; he'd know if she wasn't telling the truth. 'I can't tell you that I'm head over heels in love with you or something, because I just don't know. But there is _something_ there, something I haven't felt with any of the boys I've been with, and it's not just friendship and it's not just desire.'

'That's good enough for me,' he murmured.

She smiled. 'I know you have this thing for interrogating the bad guys and all, but do you put all potential girlfriends through this sort of thing?'

He looked at her, his head tilted _just__so_ – damn, he must have known exactly what she meant, because this was making her all tingly again, or rather even more tingly than she'd already been. 'Only when I'm serious enough to not want to ruin anything.'

xXx

It was light outside when Valkyrie woke up. Skulduggery was lying on his side. She could tell he was watching her.

'That's a bit creepy,' she muttered. 'You watching me sleep.'

'That's what you get for wanting to share the bed with someone who doesn't sleep.' Skulduggery jumped to his feet and went for the wardrobe. 'You should probably get used to it. Although if it really bothers you, I can always pretend I'm looking somewhere else.'

She yawned. 'Nah, it's OK. It was far creepier when Caelan did it.'

He stilled, his tie only half-way done. 'You let Caelan watch you sleep?'

'No! I didn't let him. He wasn't in my room; he told me he watched me through the window sometimes.' She shuddered. 'I think I can get used to you doing it. I mean, it's just that I've never really shared a bed with anyone before, so it's a bit weird.'

'Ah.'

She watched him for a few moments. 'Um… your shirt's all wrinkled. Are you going to wear that one today?'

Skulduggery looked down at himself. 'I'm blaming you for this.'

'For wrinkling your shirt?' She shrugged. 'Guilty as charged.'

'For making me lose my focus. I didn't even realise anything was wrong.'

Valkyrie grinned. He turned around, took his tie off again and started unbuttoning the shirt. She kept her eyes on his back. Had he forgotten she was still in the room? No; he hesitated for a moment before he took the shirt off. He must have known she was watching him.

He was… Well. He was all bones. She could see the wardrobe through his ribcage, and the bit of his spinal column that connected his upper part to the lower, so narrow she could easily wrap her hand around it… He looked so _fragile_, without flesh and muscles and all that usual stuff that people had. She swallowed, remembering again the day she'd seen him walk to his death at Melancholia's hands. It had been so easy. Far too easy.

Skulduggery took a clean shirt from the wardrobe, his movements oddly graceful. She watched, mesmerised by the way the bones of his arms and shoulders moved, as he put it on, tucked it into the waistband of his trousers.

'The trousers are a bit wrinkled too, you know.' She didn't want to think about Skulduggery dying. Perhaps a bit of joking would help.

He looked at her over his shoulder, his hands busy with the tie again. 'Don't push your luck.'

She grinned. 'Oh, by the way… There's something I've wondered about.'

'Hmm?'

'How do you stay clean? I mean, I know you don't sweat and I guess you don't need to wash that often, but there have been plenty of times when we've both got all sorts of muck all over us. Or mud, or blood – someone else's blood in your case, or… I mean, I'd expect you'd need to take a bath or a shower now and then just for that if for no other reason, but you didn't even have a bathroom until recently. Or any plumbing at all for that matter. Not even running water.'

Skulduggery shrugged. She could see the bones moving under his shirt; he hadn't put on his jacket yet.

'I'm a modest man, so it may have slipped your notice, but I happen to be an Elemental with some skill in handling water,' he said. 'It's never been a problem for me to fill a bowl with water and use a washcloth – it's what I did when I still had a physical body, after all.'

'Ah.'

'If you're worried that I'm not clean enough…' He tilted his head.

'No! That's not it at all. That's actually what made me wonder about it – you smelled so nice and clean.' She blushed. 'But now that you have a shower… why not just use that instead?'

'I did once,' he said. 'Just to find out what it was like.'

'And what was it like?'

'Wet.'

'Um, showers tend to be. That's sort of the purpose of showers.'

'I'm not too fond of wet. I don't think my bones appreciate getting fully soaked and then dried too often. It's not a problem when it happens occasionally, for example if someone throws me into a lake, but I happen to like my bones the way they are – I don't need them to become either too spongy or too brittle.'

'Oh. And that could happen with too many showers?'

'Frankly, I'm not sure.' He paused for a moment, his waistcoat still unbuttoned. 'Now that I think about it, perhaps I should make it your next research project. Study the conservation of and the effects of repeated application of water and cleaning agents on human bone, or whatever it might be called.'

She made a face. 'It doesn't sound too interesting.'

'It would be about the conservation of me. What could be more interesting or more important?'

'How about our case here?'

'I thought you didn't find it too exciting.'

'It's more exciting than research.' She flung her legs over the edge of the bed. 'So I'm never going to get you in the shower with me, am I?'

'I didn't say that.'

'So you'd be willing to make an exception?'

'If you did some research and assured me it was safe…'

Valkyrie stuck her tongue out at him. 'Speaking of the case, have you checked on our friends the sheep yet?'

'I did a few times during the night, while you were asleep, but I couldn't see a thing.'

'That camera – it can see in the dark, right?'

'Of course. What use would a security camera be if it didn't have night vision?'

'Good point,' she said, heading to the bathroom. 'So we're assuming no one was there.'

'We'll go and check the site, see if there are any signs of magical activity. It's entirely possible something happened while I wasn't watching the feed. It wasn't very interesting, after all, so I only took a few looks, hours apart.'

'Watching me sleep was more interesting?'

'Well, yes. But then again, almost anything would have been.'

'You really need to work on your compliments.'

'I'm very good at them, thank you.'

She started to close the bathroom door but stopped to look at him put on his jacket and hat and admire himself in the mirror.

'I think this hat goes really well with the suit, don't you agree? It makes me look distinguished. Suave.'

She laughed. In almost any other man, an ego the size of a planet would have turned her off years ago. With Skulduggery, though… it was a big part of his appeal. He never failed to make her laugh, feel good about things. And that was something she couldn't do without.

xXx

'Magical activity,' she said, as the dust Skulduggery sprinkled on the ground changed colour.

'Indeed. About seven hours ago, I would say.' He fished his watch out of his waistcoat pocket and checked the time. 'That would mean something happened here around two in the morning.'

'And we should have some evidence of it, right?'

'Yes.' He put the pocket watch back and took out his phone. 'Going back through the still captures takes a while… Here we are, at half past two, so we can go back from here.'

Valkyrie peered at the screen. Skulduggery put his free arm around her and pulled her closer. 'I'm just going back through the photos slowly. If you spot something you think I missed, let me know.'

'This would be a lot easier if you had a laptop or something with a bigger screen.'

'Are you saying size matters to you?'

She elbowed him into the ribs. 'Shut up. Besides, yeah, sometimes it clearly does.'

'The phone should do for our purposes.'

She watched the still shots go by, spotting nothing of any interest, until… 'Wait, stop!'

Skulduggery stopped and nodded. 'Sheep. At 2:12.'

Valkyrie tilted her head. 'Are they…?'

'I'm afraid so.'

'But that's gross.'

'They seem to enjoy it.'

'Eww – I mean, just look at these two!'

'I think you'll find it's these three, not these two.' He zoomed in and showed her the screen.

'You're right. Thank you. I'll never get this image out of my head now, you know that, yes?'

'I do. If it helps, at least it's a small screen.'

She shuddered. 'Good point. I don't think I'd have wanted to look at these shots in a larger format after all.'

He flicked through some more stills. 'And here's another group of four.'

'Do I have to look at these? Can't you just do it yourself?'

'We're partners, Valkyrie. We share things.'

'This is _not_ really the sort of thing I imagined sharing with you.'

'Life with me is always full of surprises.'

'I've noticed. Anyway, I think we can say with certainty that these aren't ordinary sheep. God, I hope so at least…'

'I don't think they are, no.' He zoomed in on another shot. 'See this?'

'Skulduggery! I do _not_ want to look at that!'

'No, not _that_, this bit right here. On the grass, standing up.'

'Oh… It looks like a sparkler of some sort, doesn't it? Just rather thick for one.'

'It does indeed. And unless I'm mistaken, and I don't think I am, it's not a sparkler but a magical sparklestick.'

'A magical sparklestick.'

'It's a magical stick that sparkles.'

She rolled her eyes. 'And does it have any other purpose but to sparkle?'

He shifted, looking somewhat uncomfortable. 'Actually, it does. But you don't need to know that.'

She considered this for a moment, taking another look at the screen, and checked the next picture as well. The stick wasn't anywhere to be seen in the next frame. 'Oh. It's one of those things I'm too young to know, yes?'

'Yes.'

'Oh. Eww.'

'People do have needs, Valkyrie. It's quite natural.' He even sounded uncomfortable now.

She remembered what China had said. 'Oh. Um, is it something you have experience with?'

He cleared his throat. 'Perhaps. Never involving sheep though.'

'At least there's that.' She looked at him. 'It's, uh, just the sheep thing that is gross, you know. Not that you, um… You know.'

'I know.'

'Right. Anyway, does this mean we've solved the mystery?'

'I'd say so, yes.'

'So now we can pack up and leave and inform the Sanctuary? Or should we actually do something? They're not really hurting anyone, I think… Er, if any of the pictures show that they are, I don't want to know it, okay?'

'I'd say everything that is happening here is likely to be completely consensual.' He flicked through some more captures. 'And here's some evidence of what the villagers must have seen – high beams of light, very probably magical in origin. I suppose we should try to catch them in the act, so to speak, and inform them that they're scaring the locals, but…'

'Can't we leave that to someone else? After all, we've done our job and found out what is going on. And if we're not here to arrest them, then, well…'

'Quite.' He turned the phone off and put it away. 'I think we've seen enough. The Sanctuary has enough resources to deal with this lot here, if they decide they need to be dealt with. And as far as we can tell, there's nothing criminal or dangerous going on here.'

'Plus it's fun to see Erskine and Ghastly's reaction when we tell them it's in their hands now. Especially after you've shown them the evidence.'

'There is that.' The lips of his façade twitched. Valkyrie was quite sure this wasn't just a malfunction; he was really getting good at controlling his facial expressions. 'And don't forget Madame Mist. I think she needs to see the evidence as well, don't you?'

She grinned. 'Oh yes. Although who knows, she might not even find it shocking.'

'That is true.' Skulduggery made a face. 'Do you want to go back to the B&B for our things and check out now or would you prefer to stay another day?'

'Check out and go home, I guess. I mean, we've solved the case, so there's no real reason to stay – I think we saw all the sights there were to see yesterday. And I'm missing Alice, to be honest.' She gave Skulduggery a quick kiss. 'Not that I haven't enjoyed the stay.' Perhaps this hadn't been the most exciting holiday she'd ever had, in most ways, but it was certainly one that she'd always think about with fondness. 'If we hadn't come, it might have taken me a bit longer to get up the courage and tell you.'

He touched her cheek with a gloved finger. 'I'm glad you did.'


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I know I've said this before, but work has really got insane now and on top of it, I'm buying a new flat and selling my old one, which means that any free time I've had has become even less, so... if the updates stop being regular, that's why. I'm not abandoning the story, don't worry! But I do wish sometimes I wasn't a grown-up, with all the responsibilities that come with it. Oh well, that is life.

I still don't own the characters or settings or anything that you might recognise. Derek Landy (happy birthday to the Golden God!) does.

* * *

><p>'Did you have a nice holiday?'<p>

The reflection smirked as she asked that. Valkyrie wanted to wipe that smirk off its face. It was bad enough that it would know, as soon as she told it to go back to the mirror, everything that had happened between her and Skulduggery in the last few days.

The reflection didn't seem perturbed by the nasty look she sent at it. 'You look different, you know. You told him, didn't you?'

'You'll know soon anyway, so why don't you just shut up about it?'

It sent her a calculated look. 'Are you ready to resume your life?'

She'd planned to ask the reflection what had happened since she last called her, but she really didn't feel like spending any more time talking to it. The reflection always made her irritable. Although she had to admit to herself that she'd been feeling irritable since the moment Skulduggery dropped her off at the pier – after a rather heated, and to her delight, mutually enthusiastic snogging session in the Bentley – and drove away.

'Yes, I'm ready to resume my life.'

The reflection stepped into the mirror – Valkyrie could almost swear that there was a spring in its step; was it really so eager to find out what it had missed? – and she touched her hand to the cool glass, absorbing the memories.

She sat down on her bed, letting several days' worth of memories settle in her brain. She couldn't spot anything out of place; at least that was something. And nothing much had happened. She'd missed Alice getting a few days older, but it was the reflection's memories of her mother trying to have a heart-to-heart chat with it about boyfriends and Stephanie's post-school plans (the reflection had been very good at being evasive; she had to give it that), and her father ruffling the reflection's hair, which made her swallow painfully.

She hated this part of her life, the part where she had to lie to the people she loved the most. And yet she couldn't imagine her life any other way any more. If it was between lying to her parents and having magic, and having Skulduggery in her life, or not lying to her parents and not having those things… Well, she knew what she would choose, every time.

Except that it didn't make the lying part – or the part where she mostly saw her parents through someone else's memories; someone who wasn't even a person but just a _thing_ – any easier.

Valkyrie sighed. She'd made her choice years ago. A good choice, all things considered, especially when she thought about the man she'd spent these last few days with.

Even if he wasn't someone she could take home and introduce to her parents. Which made her sigh some more.

She wondered if the reflection would be disappointed by the memories she shared with it. How much of the reflection was her, anyway? Did it really feel the same things she did? Did it feel _more_ than she did? Did it _know_ more than she did? It had been straightforward about various things in recent years, and in hindsight, it _had_ always had a point, especially when it came to her rather conflicted emotions regarding her partner and best friend.

Was _she_ disappointed, she wondered while changing out of her work clothes. Everything that had happened these last few days… It was all a jumble in her mind. Things were going to be different now. Everything had changed. But how different? Would he treat her differently – outside the obvious, the brand new physical part of their relationship?

Did she want him to treat her differently? She _knew_ that he cared, no matter how much he sometimes pretended that he didn't. She didn't like being treated as needing protection from or by anyone; she knew that he knew it, and – unlike most men – actually understood it. But that was before. Men, in her admittedly not too vast experience, once they saw her as _theirs_, tended to get romantic and chivalrous and want her to get out of harm's way, to have someone else handle the big and the bad and the dangerous.

She didn't think Skulduggery would do that. He knew her far too well. Although he did sometimes use some rather underhanded, sneaky ways to put himself in the firing line first, while making it sound like it was purely a matter of strategy.

Valkyrie smiled. He really could be sweet sometimes.

She couldn't get the question out of her mind, though. Was she disappointed? Not by the things that had happened, but the things that hadn't happened?

She wanted him. She hadn't even realised it a month ago, but dear God did she want him now; a mixture of curiosity and hormonal lust but more than anything, a desire for _him_, for Skulduggery, for wanting to become as close to him as humanly possible.

But – as much as her body protested and argued – she realised that taking things step by step would probably be for the best, for her as well. Kissing him, touching him… it had aroused her more than anything she'd done with Fletcher or Caelan or Hansard, but it _was_ also really, really weird. Good weird. Excellent weird. Bloody fantastic weird, but still weird, and something she'd had to adjust to, step by step.

No, she wasn't disappointed. She'd got a lot more out of this short holiday/case trip than she'd expected, really.

She just hoped that Skulduggery wouldn't want to wait with _everything_ – well, more than what they'd done so far – until her birthday.

She hid her work clothes underneath a pile of stuff in the wardrobe, took a look at the mirror, grinned at her reflection, and went downstairs to spend some quality time with her parents and her baby sister.

xXx

Ghastly eyed the high throne-like chair in front of him. Oh, how he hated it, and the robes, and pretty much everything that came with being an Elder. All this ceremony. All the rules and regulations. And the paperwork… He'd never been one for paperwork. He liked to make things with his hands, not scribble his signature on endless reams of documents.

The pay was good, but he'd never had to worry about money. Skulduggery's monthly orders of new suits alone were enough to feed a family of ten and have plenty left over.

He sighed and took his seat, hoping that Erskine and Mist would join him soon. A young mage had informed all three of them that Detectives Pleasant and Cain were back from their mission and ready to give their report, and Ghastly really didn't want to keep his friends waiting.

'Could you show the detectives in, Fang?' he asked, wincing inwardly at the young mage's chosen name. Scooter Fang was all very good while the boy was still young, Ghastly supposed, but once he had a few hundred years on his back… Well, it was the boy's choice, and there wasn't anything Ghastly could do about it.

The boy blinked. 'Show them in, Elder Bespoke? But the Grand Mage and Elder Mist aren't here yet!'

'Is there anything in the rules that says the visitors cannot be shown in until all three Elders are present? I'm not going to ask them to give their report yet, but they're my friends and I'd like this opportunity to chat with them. Privately,' Ghastly added, just in case.

Fang fished a notebook out of a pocket. 'Um, let me see, Elder Bespoke…' He scanned the pages, the tip of his tongue showing as he concentrated on the notes. 'I can't find anything forbidding it. Will I fetch them then?'

'If you would.'

'Okay.' The boy nodded and hurried out of the room.

Ghastly tried to make himself comfortable on the seat, while he was waiting, but it just wasn't possible. He wondered if it would be against the rules, or traditions, or whatever they were called, to have the chairs fitted with some cushions.

The door opened and his friends walked in, Skulduggery half a step ahead of Valkyrie. But there was something… Ghastly shook his head. For a moment, he almost thought he'd seen them holding hands, but he must have been mistaken. He did notice that Valkyrie was looking especially pretty – almost glowing, and there was a slight spring in Skulduggery's step that he hadn't seen for a very long time.

'Hello, Elder Bespoke.' His old friend's velvety voice was full of amusement. Ghastly wondered if Skulduggery would ever stop finding his new job funny; in all honesty, he had to admit that if their roles were reversed, he'd probably never let Skulduggery forget it either.

He gave them a nod. 'Detective Pleasant, Detective Cain. I see that you have emerged from your mission in one piece.'

'Did you expect otherwise?' Valkyrie asked. She'd stuck her hands in the pockets of her jacket. Ghastly gave her an appraising look. The jacket still fit, but with all that training and growing up Val was doing, she'd need a new one soon or it wouldn't leave her shoulders enough space. She'd need maximum comfort and freedom of movement when fighting; he'd have to note it down in his diary and make time for some tailoring work.

'Not really. Since you're back, I assume that you have solved the case?'

Skulduggery gave a nod. 'We did indeed. Although we should probably wait for your esteemed colleagues to turn up before we go into details. I do so hate to tell a story twice.' He looked around. 'Where are they, by the way?'

'They should be here soon.'

Skulduggery strolled up to the empty chair in the middle. 'I'm sure Erskine won't mind if I sit here until he arrives.'

'Madame Mist might,' Valkyrie said.

'I'm not taking her chair.'

Ghastly nodded. 'She'd definitely mind. She'd probably have you arrested. Both of you. She doesn't like you very much, Skul, so any excuse would do.'

'I can't imagine why.' Skulduggery stood up again. 'Very well. Those chairs, they're not very comfortable, are they?'

'It's tradition, apparently. Don't ask.' Ghastly winced, as the straight, hard back of the chair reminded him that he'd been sitting there too long already. 'By the way, I'm glad to see the trip must have done you some good. You both seem more relaxed.'

Valkyrie's cheeks turned pink. Skulduggery's countenance was as impassive as always, but Ghastly didn't miss the slight turn of his head, indicating a look sent at Valkyrie.

Were they…? Had something happened while they were away? He'd had an idea for some time now that Skulduggery cared perhaps a bit more about his young partner than was entirely proper, although he'd never brought it up with his old friend, but surely even if he was right, she couldn't return his feelings?

Although stranger things had happened. He'd never imagined Tanith would find him attractive, and yet… No, he wasn't going to think about Tanith and their relationship that almost was. It had been over two years now, and it still hurt.

But Valkyrie wasn't Tanith, and as fond of the girl as Ghastly was, her taste in men and romance had so far very much run along the normal teenager lines – she liked them young and good-looking. It was impossible.

And yet…

He'd have to have a chat with Skulduggery later. Privately.

xXx

Valkyrie burst into laughter as soon as Skulduggery closed the door behind them. 'Did you see the look on their faces when you showed them the pictures? I thought they'd faint right there and then!'

Skulduggery loved to hear her laugh. She didn't do it nearly as often as a girl her age should, and he sometimes blamed himself for that. He blamed himself for so many things. But she was happy now, and he didn't want the moment to end.

'I know for a fact that Erskine and Ghastly have seen worse things than that. And not on small blurry photos, either.'

'Oh, have they? And how would you know?' She looked at him, her dark eyes shining with mirth and curiosity.

'I don't think this is one of those stories I ought to share with you,' he said. 'Not because I don't want to, but because Ghastly and Erskine would go and find Anton and the three of them would tear me limb from limb. And that hurts.'

'Oh, one of those war things again?'

He hesitated. 'Well. In a manner of speaking.'

'So it's not one of those war things.'

'Not really, no. And that's all I'm going to tell you about it.'

'That's so not fair.'

'Life isn't.'

'True, I suppose. And why do we have to stay here and wait for their decision anyway? It's not like they're going to send us back there to take care of the sheep people.'

'Oh, I think it's just Erskine wanting to look important and Madame Mist trying to inconvenience us.' Skulduggery didn't think they'd be sent back to the village either. The Sanctuary couldn't have their best detectives wasting too much time on simple matters like that; it would be better for everyone if they were available in case a real emergency came around. Yet another end-of-the-world threat, for example. Wasn't it almost time for another one? It had been months since the last one.

Not that he wanted it. With their luck, the next one might be all about Darquesse, and…

He didn't know what he'd do, if the visions did turn out to be showing the future. He'd have to kill her, if things came to that. And for the first time since learning about the visions – since learning of the true name of Valkyrie, his partner and friend and the girl he had, against his better judgement, fallen in love with – he wasn't completely sure he could do it, not without letting the part of him that was Vile take over.

He realised that Valkyrie was standing very close to him, and he found himself mesmerised by her lips – those soft, gentle, pliable, curious, hungry lips; lips that he had so recently become unexpectedly familiar with.

Lips that were coming closer, and closer, and closer— Oh God, she was going to kiss him again, right here, in the middle of the Sanctuary.

Not that he was complaining.

He'd kissed, and been kissed, quite a few times since he brought himself back to life as a skeleton, of course. Three and a half centuries was a long time, and although he had loved and adored his wife above all else while they were both alive, and although he had wallowed in guilt for the first hundred years after they both died, little by little curiosity had won.

He'd never loved any of them, not even China, and most of them had run, repulsed, after _they_ had got _their_ curiosity satisfied – many after the first kiss, others after the first shared night – but he'd certainly done enough experimenting to know what he liked and what he had to offer.

But that was them. The others. Valkyrie… Valkyrie was not like the others. He'd known that the day he first met her, in Gordon's house after the funeral. He hadn't known, of course, that this little girl would one day grow into someone he'd fall in love with, but fall in love with her he had.

He tilted his head at an angle that was least likely to get her nose stuck inside the hole where his own should have been and parted his teeth slightly, kissing her back as well as he could. He couldn't give her what any other man could, but then again, no other man could give her what _he_ could, and now that she was so determined to give their relationship a good go, he'd be damned if he didn't try to make the best of it.

A part of him, deep inside his bones, still had trouble believing this was happening. Valkyrie, his Valkyrie, not satisfied with just being his friend but wanting more… He knew he should have resisted harder, and that he would never tell her that some of that attraction he felt _was_ due to Darquesse, and that the part of him that was Lord Vile rejoiced in the dangers of that attraction and the potential he and Darquesse could achieve together, but in spite of all that he just couldn't turn her down.

He loved her. He could never have risked causing her pain that rejection always carries with it, even if the attraction she apparently felt for him had only been superficial.

And now here he was, kissing her, letting his hands roam all over her back, pulling her closer into his embrace, not even worried that they might be discovered—

'Skul? Valkyrie?'

Valkyrie pulled away from him, stumbling as he let her go.

'Ah. We thought you and Erskine and Madame Mist would need a bit more time.'

Ghastly stood at the door, looking from Valkyrie to Skulduggery and back. 'I can see that. I obviously interrupted something.'

Valkyrie, her cheeks flushed – oh how he loved that about her, how easily that tough, brave, hardened fighter she had become would still get embarrassed and blush – looked Ghastly straight in the eye. 'That's okay. Skulduggery and I can continue this later.'

Skulduggery felt like smiling. 'What's the decision?' he asked.

'We're sending two people to deal with it. They'll inform the, uh, sheep-people that they need to either stop or use a cloaking device, and that should be it.' Ghastly gave him a hard look. 'I want to talk to you, Skul. Alone. In my office.'

'Is it an official matter, Elder Bespoke?'

'No, it's not, as you well know. And stop with that "Elder" business already, will you?'

Skulduggery gave a slight shrug. He had a very good idea what his friend wanted to talk to him about, and he wasn't looking forward to that particular conversation. 'It sounded like you were issuing an order. Hence I assumed you were doing it in your official capacity as my superior.'

Valkyrie looked from Skulduggery to Ghastly and back. 'Well, we knew this was going to happen,' she said, turning to him. 'Be brave.'

Skulduggery laughed. 'I will. Are you going to be all right here without me?'

'I think I'll manage.' She looked at Ghastly. 'How long are you planning to interrogate him? I'd like to know if I should hang around here or if I have time to go for a walk. Not that Roarhaven is the best place for that, really.'

Ghastly cleared his throat. 'I think it won't take long.'

'Good.' Valkyrie stepped closer to Skulduggery and gave him a quick kiss. 'Try not to get into a fight. I need to get back home in an hour and I don't want to hang around and wait for Nye to fix you up.'

'I'll try. I can't speak for Ghastly, of course.'

Ghastly snorted. 'I don't generally punch people without a really good reason, unlike Skul here. So I think we can say he's safe.'

Valkyrie grinned. 'Excellent. See you in a bit then. Enjoy the chat.'


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: This wonderful world and the characters are still not mine. Alas.

* * *

><p>Ghastly unlocked his office and opened the door, keeping it open for Skulduggery to enter.<p>

'Have a seat,' he said.

Skulduggery waited for him to pass and closed the door behind him. He leaned against the wall. 'I'd rather stand, thanks. I assume you're not going to keep me here too long.'

Ghastly shrugged. 'Suit yourself.' He sat down at his desk, shuffled some papers into a pile and then looked at Skulduggery.

'How long has it been going on?'

Skulduggery didn't like the way his friend sounded. He'd known, of course, that Ghastly wouldn't approve – he never did approve anything he did, when it concerned Valkyrie – but the anger in his voice was more than he'd expected.

'A few days.'

'Were you planning to tell me?'

'Eventually.'

Ghastly hit the desk with his fist. 'Look, Skul, I've seen the way you've looked at her – the way you've talked about her – but she's a _child_, dammit! What were you—'

'Do you really think she's a child?'

Ghastly faltered. 'Well…'

'Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you honestly think that Valkyrie is still a child? After everything she's been through?'

'No. I suppose not. But she's still—'

'She's still very young. I know.' Skulduggery took off his hat and looked at it. 'Believe me, I know. And I tried to discourage her.'

'You didn't try very hard by the look of it.'

There were times when Skulduggery found the lack of flesh a blessing. It was much easier to keep a blank expression when all he had was a skull. 'What would you have wanted me to do?' he asked, keeping his voice even. 'Reject her? Push her away? I wasn't even prepared – I didn't expect her to kiss me. You say you had some idea of what I felt about her… I never intended to act on those feelings.'

'But you did.'

'Yes. I did.' He pretended to brush off a piece of lint from the rim of the hat. 'I know you don't approve. I'm not sure I approve of it myself either. She _is_ very young. But… Ghastly, you know what all the sensitives have been seeing. You know what's coming.'

'Darquesse.'

He hesitated. 'Yes. And that Valkyrie will die. By my side. In another year, perhaps two.'

Ghastly didn't say anything.

'She knows that, too. I couldn't push her away, not when I feel the way I do about her. If that future doesn't change – if she's going to die by my side – then who am I to deny her a chance of happiness by my side for the time there is left to us? I'm going to do my best to make sure that future never happens, but we both know it's a real possibility.'

'And you think that you can give her what she wants? That you can make her happy?'

'Yes.'

'Are you sure it's not just a crush? She sees you as her hero, you know. A role model. Would she still desire you if she knew your past?'

'She knows more than you think.' He paused for a moment, not sure how much was safe to say. 'She knows things about me that no one else does. Not even you.'

'I thought I knew everything about you.'

'Not everything.'

Ghastly looked at him. 'Those missing five years. The ones you've never told anyone about. You told her?'

'Yes.'

Ghastly let out a low whistle. 'You must be serious about her.'

'She found out during that whole thing with the Death Bringer last year. I… I hadn't intended to tell her. It nearly ended our friendship.'

'You're not going to tell me, are you?'

'Sorry, no.'

'It could still be a crush. She's a curious girl. What if she gets tired of you?'

'Then I'll step aside, let her go. I've never made her choices for her.'

'It's that simple?'

Skulduggery snorted. 'Of course it's not. But what else could I do?'

'I still don't like it, you know.'

'I know. You don't have to. I've been quite enjoying myself, though.'

Ghastly groaned. 'Please. I really didn't need to know that.'

'You called me here for a chat. About my relationship with Valkyrie. How could I have guessed you didn't want the details?'

Ghastly raised a hand. 'Stop it. Now. That was an order.'

Skulduggery felt like grinning. 'If you insist. By the way, if it makes you feel any easier, we haven't really gone beyond kissing. Much. She can be terribly stubborn, that girl, once she sets her mind to something, but I'd rather wait a few months.'

Ghastly rubbed his forehead and nodded. 'Right. Although you don't actually have to tell me. It's none of my business and all that. Just… She did initiate it, right?'

'She did.'

'And she's in love with you.'

Skulduggery put his hat back on and shoved his gloved hands into his pockets. 'Possibly. I'm not sure. I don't think she is, either. But she wants me, and she wants a relationship with me.'

'She's not even eighteen yet.'

Skulduggery tilted his head. 'I thought we'd established that yes, she is young. She was even younger when she first got involved in our world. She was twelve when Serpine tried to kill her. She was thirteen when she finished off the Grotesquery, fourteen when she killed two Faceless Ones – she was fourteen when she went up against gods, Ghastly, and killed them. She's seen bloodshed and dealt it out, she's faced almost certain death more times by now than we did at her age, and there was a war going on at the time. And you're going on about how she's too young, at almost eighteen, to know whom she wants to kiss?'

Ghastly winced. 'I see your point.'

'If it was up to me, I'd prefer it if she was a bit older. Twenty five. Fifty. Maybe a hundred, even,' Skulduggery admitted. 'More experienced, in matters of the heart as well as life in general. Not that she's a complete innocent; she's had more than one boyfriend, after all. And as it is, she wants me now, and we may not even have the time to wait another five or ten years. And I'm not going to push her away just out of some foolish desire to be noble and self-sacrificing and denying us this chance because it's _wrong_. Of course it's wrong. Everything about me is wrong.'

'And you'll let her go if she decides she's had enough?'

Skulduggery laughed. 'Short of chaining her up, I can't see how I could possibly keep Valkyrie from doing anything she wants to do. She may have looked up to me all these years, but she's always been picky about which orders she chooses to follow. I can't tell her what to do – well, I can, and I've tried, but she's got a mind of her own.'

'She does, doesn't she? Much like your wife, I seem to remember.'

'Leave her out of it.' Skulduggery turned and put his hand on the doorknob. 'Valkyrie's not a replacement, so don't even try to suggest that, just because I happen to like women who are capable of independent thought.'

Ghastly stood up. 'I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. Look… What you and Val do, well, that's up to you. It's none of my business. I just care about Valkyrie, and you're my oldest friend, so…'

'Fair enough. It's none of anyone's business, but people are going to disapprove anyway, people being what they are.'

'Do you plan to go public with this?'

'If you're asking whether I plan to stand in the middle of what passes for town centre in this sorry excuse for a town and shout it from the top of my non-existing lungs, then no.'

Ghastly rolled his eyes. 'You know what I mean.'

'To be honest, I have no idea. I was thinking I'll let Valkyrie decide, set the boundaries she's comfortable with. If she wants to hold hands and kiss me in public, I'll have no objections, but it has to be her choice. I'm not going to volunteer the information to anyone.'

'What about friends? Are you going to tell Erskine?'

'Probably. At some point.'

'Val's parents?'

Skulduggery snorted. 'It's up to her, but I doubt it.'

Ghastly nodded. 'If I find out that you've hurt her…'

'You'll punch me in the face. I know. I'll try to avoid that.' He turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. 'If that's all… My partner is waiting for me.'

xXx

Valkyrie was sitting on a bench near the parked Bentley when Skulduggery joined her. She made no move to get up, so he sat down next to her.

'I didn't know they had benches in Roarhaven,' he said.

'I didn't either. I wonder if the Sanctuary had some placed around here. To make the place look a bit friendlier.'

'It would take a bit more than a few benches to make Roarhaven look friendly.'

There was an edge to Skulduggery's voice. Valkyrie looked at him, but his skull was as blank as ever. 'Are you okay?'

His head tilted almost imperceptibly. 'Why shouldn't I be?'

'You sound a bit stressed. What did Ghastly have to say?'

'Mostly that you're too young for this. For us. For me. As if I didn't know that.'

'I rather think that's up to me to decide,' Valkyrie said. 'Ghastly seemed fine with me seeing Fletcher and I don't remember him complaining when I was with Hansard, either.'

Skulduggery shifted slightly. 'But they were young, not much older than you. And they were not me. Ghastly seemed to think that if you knew more about my past, you'd feel differently.'

Valkyrie smiled. 'I might not know everything about your past, but I think I know enough to say that's not true. And Ghastly doesn't know about my own dark secret.'

'No. No, he doesn't.'

'He didn't punch you though, did he?'

'No. He said he would if I ever hurt you. Just so that you know.'

Valkyrie nodded. 'If you ever do, then once I'm done with punching you myself, I'll go and get Ghastly and have him punch you, too.'

'That's what I was thinking.'

'Not that you would. In all the years we've known each other, I don't think you've ever done anything to hurt me.'

'Not on purpose, anyway.' He put his hand on top of hers and gave it a light squeeze. 'The _Vile__thing_… I know I hurt you then, when you found out. That was not intentional.'

'I know.' She wanted to reassure him, offer him more, but she didn't really know how. So she just turned her hand, squeezed his fingers in return and repeated, 'I know.'

They sat in silence for a few minutes, until Skulduggery stood up. 'I don't know about you, but I'd rather not spend the day here.'

She smiled. 'I can think of better places than Roarhaven to spend such a nice day.'

'It is?' He sounded doubtful.

Valkyrie looked around. The sky was grey and moody as usual in this sorry excuse for a town. 'I'm sure it's a nice day somewhere. In Dublin, perhaps. Haggard, even. Where would you prefer to go?'

'Do you need to go home?'

Valkyrie thought for a moment. 'I don't think so. The reflection's at school, my parents are at work and Alice is with the babysitter. Aren't we doing any training today?'

'I was thinking we might take a day off.'

She gave him a long look. 'Are you okay? I mean, really? It's not like you to give me a day off from training without a good reason.'

'We can train if you want to.'

'It's not what I asked and you know that.'

Skulduggery tilted his head. 'I know. I'm sorry. I'll be right as rain again soon.'

'You'd better be.' Valkyrie couldn't help but worry. She suspected Ghastly's disapproval, even if Skulduggery had anticipated it, had hurt him more than he'd expected. She just hoped that he wouldn't have second thoughts about their relationship now. 'Um… Can I stay with you for a few hours anyway or would you rather be alone?'

'You're always welcome in my home.' He extended his hand to her. 'Shall we?'

xXx

They drove back to Dublin in silence. Valkyrie stole glances at the man next to him every now and then, still amazed at how easily she'd been able to go from seeing him as her best friend and partner to someone she was fast falling in love with.

'Ghastly will come around,' she offered eventually, when she couldn't take the silence any longer. 'He'll understand.'

'I know.' Skulduggery kept his gaze on the road ahead. 'Don't worry. I don't need his approval to court you. It's just…' He sighed. 'Most people don't like me anyway. But you… I don't want your reputation to suffer because of this. Us. Me.'

Valkyrie shrugged. 'People already think we're having sex. I know Hansard's father believes that's why you've kept me around, and he's not the only one.'

'Arthur Dagan is an idiot. Most people don't take him and his ilk seriously. Except of course that now they'll believe we've been involved for far longer than a few days.'

'Does that bother you?'

Skulduggery raised a dark brown eyebrow. 'I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a seducer of innocent children. And I'd rather not be thought of as one.'

Valkyrie winced. 'Sorry. But those who want to believe the worst of you – and me – are doing so anyway.'

'I know.'

'Are you… You're not regretting this, are you?'

He sighed again. 'No. The better side of me tells me that I should be, but I'm not. I'm far too selfish to throw away this chance.'

'Good.'

When they arrived at Skulduggery's home, Valkyrie left him to park the Bentley and went ahead inside. He'd given her a key of her own years ago; it had come in handy when she had the idea of making sure his gun would be cleaned and polished and waiting for him back before she went on her rescue mission, to get him back from the Faceless Ones.

He joined her in the largest living room a few minutes later, having already rid himself of his hat and overcoat. Valkyrie smiled when he loosened his tie and let the façade flow away, and her smile widened into a grin when he pulled her close, met her eager mouth with his own and kissed her as passionately as he could.

When he finally drew back, Valkyrie had to hold on to him for a moment to regain her balance. 'Wow,' she said, once she'd caught her breath again. 'Damn. You're _good_.'

Skulduggery manoeuvred them towards a sofa. 'I _am_ good,' he murmured into her ear, before pushing her down. Valkyrie gulped when she felt his weight on top of her, revelling in the excitement bubbling up inside. Was he really going to take back all that talk about wanting to go slow?

He nipped at her neck, gently but insistently, his hands roaming along her sides. Valkyrie reached out, tried to unbutton his shirt, but he stopped her. 'Not yet,' he whispered, before kissing her again. 'Not yet.'

'Clothes stay on?' she asked, breathless.

'Clothes stay on,' he confirmed, pulling away a little and looking into her eyes. 'Um… I'm—'

'Don't you dare say you're sorry. Unless it's sorry about stopping.'

He tilted his head. 'It would be a lie anyway.'

'I thought so.' She ran her fingertips down his cheek and jaw. 'Not that I'm complaining, but what was all this about?'

He didn't answer right away; instead he nudged her, indicating that she should move aside a little. She did so and he squeezed his long, thin body next to her on the sofa. She whimpered a little as his full weight left her.

'I'm not sure,' he said once he'd shifted a bit to make them both more comfortable. He sounded… careful; that was the only way Valkyrie could describe the tone of his velvety voice. 'I suppose that part of the reason why I suddenly, well, _needed_ to attack you like this was to reassure myself…'

He trailed off. Valkyrie guessed he was looking at the ceiling, although she couldn't be sure. She wondered if she should say something or just wait for him to continue; whatever it was, it was obviously bothering him.

'I want – I need – you to be the one to take charge, most of the time,' he said at last. 'I don't like feeling like I've taken advantage of you. I know – we both know – that you're far too independent, stubborn even, for that to really happen, but…'

It made sense, Valkyrie thought. She'd never really considered it before.

'At the same time,' he continued, 'if we're actually to have a relationship, I don't think it would work too well if I always waited for you to start something. I've been in relationships where I've always made the first move… after a while, one starts to wonder if the other is just going along with it or if they actually want it, too. I didn't want that to happen to us.'

She craned her neck to get a good look at him. He was still gazing upwards.

'I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I don't want you to ever doubt me – to ever have to doubt me, or my feelings for you. I don't want you to think that I'm just going along with it to keep you happy, or that I'm regretting this. Do I wish it had happened a little later? Yes, even though it was hard for me to see you with others. But now that you've come to your senses and realised fully how amazing I really am...'

She punched him in the arm and grinned when he tilted his head and looked at her. 'You just keep telling yourself that.'

'Oh, I do. I never get tired of hearing it.'

She kissed him. 'You know, what you said, it actually makes sense.'

'I always make sense.'

'Sometimes.'

'Always.'

'Not all the time.'

'I _always_ make sense. You're just not sufficiently intelligent to understand the depth and width of my arguments sometimes.'

'You do like to insult me, don't you?'

'Oh yes. It's fun.'

'More fun than this?' She planted a row of soft kisses along his jaw. 'Or this?'

He made a muffled sound that could almost have been a moan. 'Well, when you put it like this… It's almost as much fun.'

She smiled against his cool cheek. 'I must be out of my mind. I really have no idea why I should even like you, let alone want you as my boyfriend.'

'That you have no idea just goes to show I was right about your intelligence.' He sounded impossibly smug. 'You like me because I'm the most amazing person you've ever met. Not to mention sexy, suave, debonair, charming, incredibly talented…'

She shook her head, not even bothering to try and hide her grin. He was right, of course – not that she was ever going to tell him that.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I don't suppose I really need to say this, but I still don't own these characters and I'm not making any money off them.

Also, work is still killing me (and will be for a while yet), so any writing is done in a semi-brain-dedded state. That's my excuse for any mistakes.

* * *

><p>Valkyrie liked the routine they'd established during the past couple of months. Perhaps it wasn't very adventurous or very exciting – there was a reason why she thought of it as the routine they'd established – but sometimes she thought she'd had more than enough excitement for several lifetimes.<p>

There were days when she craved more – the adrenaline surges that only come with almost getting killed while fighting a formidable foe were dangerously addictive – but every time she felt bored, she remembered the visions, and the way Darquesse would occasionally raise her evil head inside her brain, give her a small nudge just to make sure Valkyrie wouldn't forget she shared her body with something else.

And whenever she remembered those things, she would head downstairs to play with little Alice, or, if she happened to be hanging around with Skulduggery in his home, pull him into a hug and breathe in deeply, take comfort from his familiar scent and his arms around him, determined to make the most of this wonderful, happy, calm, unadventurous phase that life was currently offering her.

They'd had a couple of minor cases, mostly just catching and interrogating small time criminals – Roarhaven was so full of shady characters that Valkyrie wasn't particularly worried about ever being out of a job. But those case were, to her, about as exciting as a walk in the park. Less so, even, as a walk in the park wasn't something she got to do very often.

Most of the time she just enjoyed the chance to spend all day, every day with Skulduggery. Training, sparring, practising magic, practising kissing (her favourite activity these days), or just sprawled out together on one of his sofas, watching TV or some old film he insisted she simply must see, just snuggling up and talking. Or not talking; she felt oddly comfortable just holding him.

And her birthday was in two weeks.

The thought filled her with a multitude of feelings. Anticipation. Excitement. A tiny bit of dread, because it would mean one irrevocable step closer towards adulthood, towards the Surge and having to choose the magic she'd have to stick to for the rest of her life, towards the future foreseen by psychics and seers and sensitives all over the world, and from what they could tell – and she knew that Skulduggery asked around, carefully, every now and then, to find out if anything had changed – that future was still as bleak as ever. Darquesse would still destroy the world and her parents would die. And Valkyrie herself would die as well.

But that future was something she didn't want to dwell on too much. Instead, she preferred to think of other things. Nicer things. More pleasant things. Much, much more _pleasant_ things indeed.

xXx

Valkyrie knocked on the front door of Skulduggery's house before unlocking it, just to let him know she was there, and stepped inside.

She found him standing in the middle of the hat room, surrounded by mirrors. He was wearing something… something… Valkyrie had to blink a few times before she realised what it was. Skulduggery was wearing an impossibly soft looking, fluffy – _fluffy!_ – dressing gown on top of something that looked a lot like soft grey cotton jogging bottoms and an equally soft grey cotton top.

'Uh,' she said. 'You look different.'

Skulduggery tilted his head. 'It's my new look. Fabulous, isn't it?'

She looked at him. 'You've finally gone and lost it, haven't you?'

'Lost what? My amazing sense of fashion?' He turned and looked at himself in the mirror. 'I think I look quite good, really.'

Valkyrie didn't say anything.

'Actually,' Skulduggery said, 'it's to do with something I've noticed the last few times we've, uh, been close. I've bruised you, haven't I?'

'Not much.' She hadn't thought he'd noticed, and bruises were something that hardly bothered her by now, especially as they were so easy to deal with afterwards, but there had indeed been times when they'd got a bit carried away and… well, Skulduggery's hips _were_ rather bony, so they did tend to dig into hers somewhat painfully.

'So this is, what, padding?'

'Exactly!' He sounded pleased with himself. 'Come here.'

He pulled her into a tight hug, his hands firmly on her back. Valkyrie pushed her hips closer, wriggling them experimentally. There really was a difference compared to his usual thin suit.

'Hmm,' she said. 'You're all soft. And cuddly.' She grinned, looking up into his dark eye sockets. 'I never thought I'd call you either of those things.'

Skulduggery laughed. 'For you, I can be anything. Oh God, that sounded cheesy, didn't it?'

'Yes, it did. For some reason I don't really mind though.' She gave him a quick kiss. 'Of course, all this new padding isn't really going to help when we, uh, you know…'

'We'll cross that bridge when we get there,' Skulduggery said. 'There's no reason for you to waste your supply of those healing rocks on something like this in the meantime.'

'Oh, so that's why you did it? Purely out of practical reasons?' Valkyrie pretended to pout, which was more difficult than she'd imagined. She really wasn't a natural pouter. 'Here I was thinking it was out of concern for me.'

'A bit of both?' Skulduggery offered before letting go of her. 'Tea? Have you eaten yet?'

'I had some lunch at home and it's too hot for tea.' She eyed his new soft ensemble again. 'You're lucky you don't feel the heat or you'd be melting. I think there should still be something left in the fridge though, isn't there?'

'Let me see.' Skulduggery left the hat room and went to the kitchen. She followed after him. 'There's some Coke here,' he said, his voice slightly muffled by the fridge door. 'And some water. Juice as well but it's been sitting here opened for a few days now, I think, so I don't know if it's still any good.'

'Water's good.' Valkyrie slumped down on the nearest chair while Skulduggery looked for a clean glass. She'd have been fine with drinking straight from the bottle – after all, it wasn't very likely that anyone else would be sharing it, not in this house – but Skulduggery always insisted on doing things properly. With anyone else, that insistence on neatness would have started to grate on her nerves eventually, but as with so many other things, what would have annoyed her to no end in someone else only amused her when it was Skulduggery.

'Here you go.'

Her fingertips brushed against his as she took the glass from him. She wondered if he'd take the gloves off when they finally took that next step in their relationship. She hoped he would; she enjoyed the feeling of fine leather on her skin, but she wanted to feel _all_ of him.

She took a sip of the cool water and swallowed. Bad thoughts. Bad. Well, good thoughts, really, but there were other things she wanted to talk to Skulduggery about.

'My parents want to hold the party at Gordon's house.'

'Oh?'

'Yeah.' She winced. 'I mean, I guess it makes sense, as we can then celebrate the house officially becoming mine and all that, but…'

'Do they know you've stayed there occasionally? Or do we have to fabricate six years' worth of dust and cobwebs and pretend no one's set a foot inside since Gordon's funeral?'

'I told mum I've been there now and then, when I've wanted some time to just be on my own and think about stuff.' That had been a weird conversation, although she'd tried to make it sound as casual as she could and her mother had, as usual, been more than understanding. She hadn't made a big deal out of it, thank God.

'Ah, good. I've wondered actually why they've stayed away from the house. It's your property, but one would think they'd have wanted to look it over, see what needs to be fixed and all that.'

'I have no idea. It's weird, really, now that you mention it.' Valkyrie dragged another chair closer and put her feet up. Skulduggery tilted his head at her. 'Sorry.' She nudged her shoes off and let them fall on the floor with a thud. 'Anyway, it's as if they've been afraid to visit, or something. I've mostly avoided talking about the house at all, of course, as I didn't _want_ them to go around there, but they haven't really mentioned it at all for years. Until now, that is.'

Skulduggery nodded. 'They have their reasons, I expect.'

'I guess so.' She sighed. 'I was thinking of having a small party there for, you know, us. You, me, Ghastly, Erskine, perhaps some other people from the Sanctuary. But I can't do that now, can I?'

Skulduggery sat down across the kitchen table from her. 'You could have the family party on the actual day and a smaller get-together the day after? I assume your parents would have wanted to celebrate on the actual day regardless of where the party is held, as it's so conveniently on a Saturday. You would have had to plan around it anyway.'

'I know.' She felt a blush spread across her cheeks. 'I was just hoping, well, to spend the night there with you…'

'An extra day won't kill you.' He sounded amused. 'Besides, I don't recall ever saying that we'd take that next step _on_ your birthday.'

'I rather hoped it would be my birthday present.' Valkyrie grinned at him and batted her eyelashes. She hoped she didn't look too ridiculous; she hadn't had much practice. 'And really, I've been good, haven't I? I never knew I had this much patience!'

'I'm flattered to know that you'd want me as your birthday present, although I now have a rather alarming mental image of myself in your bed, wearing nothing but a huge pink bow and perhaps some wrapping paper. But I was actually thinking about giving you something else as your present. And no, I'm not going to tell you what it is, so don't bother asking.'

'Am I going to like it?'

'Oh yes.'

'More than you naked in my bed, wearing nothing but a large pink bow?'

'I certainly hope not.'

'Can I have both?'

'No.'

'Why not?'

'Because I say so.'

'You don't actually have a good excuse, do you?'

'I just think one present should be enough. You _are_ getting a house as well, remember? And all that money?'

'Yeah, but that's from Gordon.'

'Still. I'm sure your parents will get you something as well, as will others. And greed is very unbecoming of a young lady.'

'Who are you calling a lady?'

'Good point. I can't see anyone here that I'd call a lady.'

She clicked her fingers, not waiting for the fire to grow into a larger ball, and threw the tiny flame at Skulduggery who extinguished it in the air with a lazy wave of his hand.

'You really need to practice harder if you want this sort of thing to work,' he said.

She rolled her eyes. 'I was only making a point.'

He nodded. 'A very small point.'

'Do I really have to get up and come over there to shut you up?'

'Weren't you going to tell me more about the party plans?'

'Oh. Right.' She got up and rinsed her glass under the tap before putting it aside to dry. 'I suppose I'll need to warn Gordon. At least there isn't any evidence of magic lying around there, I think, not outside Gordon's secret room anyway, and that will be closed of course… Damn. Gordon's going to sulk if he can't join the party.'

'He's very good at sulking. It must run in the family.'

She ignored him. 'I hope my parents aren't thinking about anything too big. I could do without having to spend the evening in the company of most of the family. Especially on the Edgley side. Although I can't see how we could get away without inviting Fergus and Beryl and the twins. Not that the twins have been so bad lately, but the mere idea of having to spend some time with Beryl is making me twitch.'

'My heart bleeds for you.'

'You don't have a heart. I've looked into your ribcage and there was nothing there.'

'My metaphorical heart bleeds for you. In any case, you've survived worse things.'

'I know. I just think I shouldn't be made to suffer on my birthday.'

'Are you trying to make me feel sorry for you, so I'd come by later?'

'Is it working?'

'No.'

She stepped up behind him, put her hands on his shoulders and bent down to kiss his skull. 'You're lucky I don't wear lipstick, by the way. Although it would look funny if I did. Hmm, maybe I should try it…'

'Are you trying blackmail now? You're not very good at it if so, as I'd be wearing a hat. Which would cover up any embarrassing lipstick marks, you know. Although I could also _not_ wear a hat and just show off my prowess as a ladies' man instead.'

She traced the faint lines between the bones of his cranium gently, marvelling at how beautifully he was put together. 'So if pity doesn't work, and blackmail doesn't work, what should I try that _would_ work?'

'If you keep doing whatever it is you're doing right now, that might actually work.' He sounded a little strained and from the angle of his shoulders, she could tell he'd tensed up. 'A head massage. I don't think anyone's tried it on me before.'

'And it's working?'

'Mm-hmm. Surprisingly well, even.'

'You sound a little strained.'

'That's because I'm enjoying it more than I should. It's quite indecent, really.'

'I'm glad to hear it.' She placed another kiss on the back of his head. 'I've been wondering what I should do to make you feel good. What are these bones called, by the way? The big ones here, sort of at the top/back?'

'There's a book on human anatomy in one of the shelves in the front room.'

'But that would mean I'd have to go there and stop doing this.' She let her fingers travel across the sides of his skull. 'It would be so much easier if you just told me.'

'Parietal bones.'

'Oh. That sounds rather boring.'

'You have my permission to keep calling them _those __big __ones__ sort __of __at __the __top/back_ if you wish.'

'Thank you.'

'I was thinking about inviting Fletcher.'

He stilled under her fingers. 'Oh.'

'Just as a friend, of course. And I don't know if he'd even come.'

'Are you sure it's a good idea? I don't mean for Fletcher to come – he was a good friend to you for years, so if you want him there, of course he should be invited – but for you to invite him? What if he misreads your intentions?'

'Do you think he would?'

Skulduggery sighed and turned his head so he could look up at her. 'Ghastly told me about it after you and Fletcher broke up. Apparently Fletcher was hoping at the time that he might get you back at some point in the future. I don't know of course if he still wants that, but if you invited him, and he's still hoping that you'd take him back, then…'

'Ah.' The last thing she wanted was to hurt Fletcher again. 'I'll think about it. Maybe I can come up with some way to put it so that he'll know for certain that I'm only inviting him as a friend. Or maybe I'll ask Ghastly if he can invite Fletcher. Would that work, do you think?'

'Hmm. That's not a bad idea, but then again, won't Fletcher get offended if you don't invite him yourself?'

'I can't win, can I?' She rolled her eyes. 'I'll think of something. You're okay with Fletcher there though, yes?'

'Why shouldn't I be?' He cocked his head. 'You don't have any intentions of getting together with the boy again, do you?'

'Don't be silly.'

'So why should I worry? Go ahead, invite him. I just wanted to make sure you don't inadvertently get his hopes up. Also, before you call him, don't forget you'll have to decide on a place and day for the party first.'

'Sunday at Gordon's house? Or I guess my house, as it will be by Sunday… That's so weird, by the way. I don't think I'll be able to think about it as anything else than Gordon's house, especially as he's still sort of living there himself.'

'I'll make sure to clear my schedule for that Sunday so I can be there.'

'You'd better be.' She picked up her glass, went to the fridge and poured herself some more water. 'I was actually just thinking that I might tell my parents I'll stay the night and clean up on my own on Sunday, so if you came by on Saturday night…'

He laughed and shook his head. 'You're really very persistent at times.'

'Can you blame me?'

'No. No, I don't suppose I can. But there will be no pink bows involved.'

'OK. No pink bows. What about blue ones? I don't really like pink anyway.' She grinned, realising that Skulduggery hadn't – finally! – disagreed with her plan. 'All right, no bows of any kind. I just hope we won't have to work that night.'

'I'll make sure that Ghastly and Erskine know not to assign us any cases for that weekend. I doubt it'll be a problem. I haven't really heard about anyone wanting to end the world for a few months now, which is a nice change, I must say, and if there's anything else, well… the Sanctuary does employ other detectives.'


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: As always, not mine.

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><p>Valkyrie waited until her dad had left for work before bringing up the topic of her birthday party with her mother.<p>

'I was thinking,' she said, swirling her orange juice in the glass and trying to sound as casual as she could, 'about the party and next weekend in general.'

'Yes?' Melissa Edgley put the box of breakfast cereal back in the cupboard.

'Well, I was thinking that I'd want to have a small get-together on Sunday as well, maybe. Just for a few friends and such.'

'Oh, really? Anyone I know?' Her mother looked at her. 'You've barely mentioned any friends these last few years.'

Valkyrie shrugged. 'Just a few people from school and some friends I've made at the gym.'

'Oh.' Melissa poured herself a cup of coffee. 'Well, of course you can. You mean at the mansion, yes?'

'Yeah. I was thinking that maybe I'd stay there the night after the family party; that would give me time on Sunday to clean up and prepare and whatever. I'm only thinking about a few people; nothing fancy. And we're not going to trash the house or anything.'

Her mother patted her shoulder. 'It's your house – well, it will be by then, anyway. Look at you – you're all grown up now, my little girl.'

Valkyrie gave her a lopsided smile.

'Is there anything you need? I can easily get a bit more food, so there would be plenty left over after Saturday's party.'

'Just some snacks would be great. Thanks, mum.'

Her mother smiled at her. 'You're welcome. I'm really glad you've got friends, you know, and that you felt you could tell me about this. You do know you can tell me anything, yes? I know you're all grown up and that you value your space and independence, but your dad and I and your little sister – we'll always be here for you.'

Valkyrie swallowed. God, she hated lying to her parents. After all those years it came so easily but that didn't make her hate it any less.

'I know, mum. I know. It really means a lot to me.' She looked at the clock ticking away on the wall. 'Isn't it time for you to leave for work too?'

'Oh – yes, it is. You'll be fine with Alice until lunch?'

'Yeah, I'll be fine.' She grinned. Spending time with her little sister was something she actually enjoyed, even though babysitting could sometimes be rather nasty, especially when there were various messes to deal with. Still, even that was preferable to beating up monsters set on destroying the world, so she tried to do as much of it herself as she could, using the reflection only in real emergencies.

She waited until her mother had left and picked up her phone. It was never too early to call Skulduggery, she'd decided, and she hadn't talked to him since last night. She smiled to herself, realising how much this made her feel like a regular teenager, itching to call her boyfriend just because she missed him.

She'd never felt this strongly about Fletcher, let alone the others, but then, Skulduggery had generally been her first choice to call or spend her time with even while she was involved with someone else.

She dialled the number and waited for him to answer.

'You're up early.' Skulduggery never sounded sleepy or tired, no matter how early she called. Just one of the perks of having a skeleton as her boyfriend, together with no morning breath or arguments about toilet seats being left up.

'Not that early.' She went to check on Alice, who had fallen asleep again – her mum had fed her earlier and put her back to bed. 'I got up a bit earlier than usual because I wanted to talk to mum about the party.'

'And?' It never ceased to amaze her how Skulduggery could make even a single word sound so sinfully delicious.

'Why do you think there's an _and_ there?'

'Because I'm a detective, and I know you wouldn't have mentioned it unless there was something else you wanted to tell me.' He sounded amused.

'I bow to your superior skills, Detective Pleasant.'

'You know, I've never seen you bow to me. I think I need to see this.'

Valkyrie laughed. 'You wish. I was only joking.'

She heard him let out an exaggerated sigh. 'Now you tell me.'

'Anyway,' she said, 'I told mum I'm having a small party on Sunday for some friends and that I'll be spending the night there. She was fine with it. So I guess that's all settled.'

'Good.'

She cradled the phone in her hand, not wanting to hang up yet. She could just sit and listen to his voice for hours. 'Will I see you later tonight?' she asked after a moment. Urgh. Now she sounded like a lovesick teenager, which wasn't far from the truth, but…

'Let me check my schedule. Oh, yes, I think I can fit you in for twenty minutes or so.'

She rolled her eyes. 'Funny, very funny.'

'I'm so glad you recognise my genius.' She knew that he'd be grinning – he always was, of course, but if he had a real face. She still wondered sometimes what he'd looked like in life. Handsome, he'd told her, and China's words had confirmed it, but that wasn't a lot to go on. 'I have some errands to run in town,' he said, 'but I'll be home by six or so. Do you have anything specific in mind or just a quiet night in?'

She thought about it for a moment. 'We could go out, I guess? I'll check if there's anything interesting going on. Cinema, maybe?'

'Something horribly modern, no doubt.'

'Of course. Payback for all those ancient things you've made me watch.'

'The things I do for you.'

She wondered, not for the first time, what she had done to deserve a friend like Skulduggery. She couldn't imagine her life without him any more.

'You sound as if going to the cinema with me is worse than the multitude of times we've fought horrible monsters together,' she said. 'Anyway, I'll look it up and give you a call later.'

She sighed after putting the phone away. Alice was still asleep. She wished Skulduggery would come by but he never did, not when she was babysitting. It was probably for the best – wouldn't want to scare the baby – but she still sighed.

xXx

Gordon sulked. It looked rather comical – he was floating a bit above ground, his arms crossed, wearing a sulky look – but Valkyrie knew better than to laugh at her poor, dead uncle. If she'd just been told that her entire family, whom she hadn't seen for years, was going to have a party at her house and that not only was she not invited but that she'd have to stay locked up and hidden for it, she'd have sulked as well.

'Are you sure I can't just stay in my office?' he asked at last.

Valkyrie thought about it. 'You could, but what if someone pokes their nose in? I can't always run after people and tell them where they're not allowed to go. And I think mum and dad would want to give the house a proper look-over. It's a miracle they've stayed away as long as they have.'

'What about Fergus?'

'What about Fergus?'

'He's coming as well, isn't he? He and Beryl and those horrible twins?'

'They're not so bad.'

Gordon waved his transparent hand. 'If you say so. But nothing will make me change my mind about Beryl.'

'I can't disagree with you here. But yes, I think mum has invited them. Couldn't really not to.'

Gordon twiddled his thumbs. 'Well, I was thinking… I assume you haven't really talked with Fergus since you told me about him last year, but if he knows that magic is real, and even has some himself, and… well, maybe…'

'You'd like to meet him?'

He gave an embarrassed shrug. 'Maybe. He wasn't my favourite brother, but it's been so long since we actually sat down and had a chat – not that I can actually sit down now – and seeing as he knows about magic and about you… Yes. Yes, I'd like to meet him.'

Valkyrie considered this. It was a reasonable request. 'I'll see what I can do.'

'Thank you.' Gordon finally stopped fidgeting. 'So, how are things with you? It's been a while since you've stopped by. Any monsters you need to find out about? Any new apocalypses coming around? Anyone new in your life?'

'No monsters, no apocalypses.' She grinned. 'My life is wonderfully boring right now.'

'Oh, that's sad. A girl your age needs some excitement in her life.'

'Well…' She hesitated. 'I was going to tell you anyway, so I might just as well. Um, after the party, once everyone's left, I've sort of invited Skulduggery to come here.'

Gordon blinked. The effect was interesting. 'He comes here often enough.'

'Well, yes. But, uh, I am kind of hoping that he'll stay here for the night.'

He blinked again. Valkyrie could see him put two and two together. 'Are you saying that… you and Skulduggery…?'

She blushed. 'Yeah.'

'Oh.'

'Indeed.'

'Well then. I can't say that idea ever occurred to me, although now that I think about it… Yes, I can see it. You know that he's a skeleton, yes?'

'Believe it or not, I've noticed.'

'He's a good man. A good friend. The best I ever had, really.'

'He is.'

'And he feels the same way about you as you do about him?'

'Yeah. He does.'

'Well. Good.' He sounded flustered. 'And he's going to stay the night.'

'Yeah. We haven't, um, yet, you know… He said he wanted to wait, but I've had enough of waiting and—'

Gordon raised his hand. 'I think I've heard enough. I know I'm a curious person – someone with a mind this intelligent can't be anything but curious – but there are certain things I don't need to know about. Not when they concern my favourite niece, anyway.'

'I wasn't going to go into great detail anyway. But, um, you're okay with this, right?'

He gave her a serious look. 'Does he make you happy?'

'He does. Ridiculously so.'

'Well then, I have no objections.'

'Good.' She felt relieved. 'Ghastly dragged Skulduggery away for a long lecture after he found out and he wouldn't speak to either of us for a week. And he's still been acting a little weird whenever he sees us together.'

'That's Ghastly Bespoke for you. Always prim and proper. Although the tales I've heard about him… I suppose things were different during the war, and of course both he and Skulduggery hail from an age where girls as young as thirteen were considered old enough for marriage, never mind anything else.'

'Do tell.'

'These are not my tales to tell. He's a rather private man.'

'Fair enough. Anyway, I don't know if I'll have time to come by in the morning next Saturday – if I don't, just stay hidden in the secret room, OK?'

He gave a wistful sigh. 'I don't suppose I'll have a choice. Will you remember to talk to Fergus?'

'I'll try. If I can catch him on his own. I can't really go around and tell Beryl I want to talk to Fergus privately.'

Gordon laughed. 'No, I don't suppose you can.'

xXx

Finding a chance to speak to Fergus in private had been surprisingly easy. She'd gone over to their house under the pretence of wanting to talk to the twins, knowing full well that they'd just gone out, and jerked her head at the door, looking straight at Fergus, the moment Beryl had turned her back.

She had to admit that her least favourite uncle wasn't nearly as dim as she'd always thought. He joined her outside not five minutes later, and when Valkyrie had told him about Gordon, quickly and keeping her voice down, he'd only raised both eyebrows, scratched his head and accepted her words without questioning her.

Valkyrie smiled to herself. She might not like Fergus, but he was still Gordon's brother and after what she'd learned about him… She had more respect for Fergus than she'd had as a child; that was for certain.

She'd also taken the time to tidy the mansion, with Skulduggery's help – or rather, with the help of the cleaning crew he hired for her, to get the floors and walls scrubbed and the furniture dusted and polished.

It had only occurred to her to get it done when her mother had mentioned needing to spend half the week on getting the house presentable, and she didn't want to think about the amount of sulking Gordon would do if he had to stay locked up and silenced for more than one evening. So she'd offered to do it, on the condition that her mother would come by on the day before the party to check if everything looked fine.

Seeing the happy surprise on her mother's face had made all the hassle worthwhile. And it had made her feel a little better about the lies.

She'd also kept busy by all the visits to the bank and the solicitors. She couldn't actually sign the various transfer deeds and contracts until the Monday after her birthday, but at least they'd all be ready and waiting for her. And then… Well. Then she would own the house, and the fortune Gordon had left her, and any future royalties his books were still making.

Just a few more days, and she'd be rich and independent. The thought made her grin.

And she'd have Skulduggery. In every possible way. _That_ thought made her blush. It really was a bit ridiculous, but she was looking forward to it with far more excitement than becoming the owner of Gordon's mansion and an independently wealthy – very wealthy – young woman.

She was so deep in thought, sunken into the Bentley's comfortable seat, that she didn't even notice Skulduggery was talking to her until he gave her a little nudge.

'What are you thinking about?' he asked, his head tilted at a curious angle, his other hand resting on the steering wheel.

'Lots of clever little things.'

'Really? I thought only I had clever thoughts.'

'Ha ha. No, really. Lots of things.'

'Do those things include any decisions about whether you'll move out of your parents' home any time soon?'

'Oh. I haven't actually given that any thought at all yet.'

'Haven't your parents asked about it?'

Valkyrie shook her head. 'Nope. Which is a bit odd, come to think of it. Maybe it hasn't occurred to them either yet? Or maybe they're hoping that if they don't mention it, I'll be staying at home for a while yet. It's much easier if I can babysit Alice, after all.'

'That is a possibility. But now that the thought has occurred to you, if only thanks to me – any ideas?'

She stayed quiet for a moment, thinking about it. On the one hand, she wasn't eager to move out yet. She was at home so rarely that she valued every moment she spent there, with her family. On the other hand… If she moved into Gordon's house, that would mean a lot less sneaking around, a lot less lying, and a lot less needing to use the reflection.

And a lot more nights she could spend with Skulduggery, the ever-hopeful hormone-controlled part of her brain added.

'It would make my life quite a bit easier,' she mused out loud.

'It would indeed.'

'Do you think I should?'

'I think it would make your life quite a bit easier.' He turned his head to look at her. 'But it's your choice and your decision, not one I can or would want to make for you.'

'I know.' She sighed. It was one of the things she appreciated most about Skulduggery – even now, when he'd become her lover, he didn't try to run her life for her. This was something she'd disliked in her previous relationships, the way her boyfriends, sooner or later, always tried to tell her what to do and what not to do, how to act, how to feel. She'd always valued the way Skulduggery let her made her own choices, even when he made clear what he thought about something or what he preferred she'd do.

She could live with that. She didn't want to silence her friends. She _liked_ knowing what Skulduggery thought, even it meant knowing that he disapproved of something she'd done – as long as he didn't expect her to agree just because he said so.

On the flip side, that meant she had to make her own decisions. And the older she got, the more complicated those decisions were, it seemed.

'I guess I should sit down and talk to my parents about it,' she said a little later. 'It's my decision, but it does concern them as well. But on the whole, I suppose moving out would be the best thing to do. Maybe not right away, but soon.'

'You don't need to, you know.' His voice was full of understanding. 'If you'd rather stay at home another year, I'm sure your parents will like that.'

'Yeah. I'll think about it.'

'You do that.' His free hand found hers and he gave her fingers a light squeeze.

She didn't get out of the car immediately when they reached the pier. 'About tomorrow… I have no idea what time the party ends.'

'It's just family, isn't it?'

'Yeah. So I don't think it'll run very late. I mean, no one there likes one another, so they'll probably just stay a couple of hours. I hope so anyway; I don't really think I'll manage to entertain Beryl any longer than that.'

'Someone has to keep her occupied while Fergus is catching up with Gordon.'

She made a face. 'I know. Not what I expected to be doing on my birthday, but I can't really leave her to mum and dad to handle. Dad would just end up punching her in the face and it wouldn't be fair to mum. So, yeah, I guess I'll need to keep her distracted so she doesn't wander off in search of Fergus. Can you imagine if Beryl found out? About Gordon? And magic?'

'I don't think it would end well.'

'No. Ugh.' She shuddered. 'Anyway, I'll give you a call once everyone's left. You _are_ coming, aren't you?' God, she hoped she didn't sound desperate when she said that. She realised he'd never actually _said_ that he would; he had only implied it.

He touched her cheek with his fingertips and looked at her, his dark-haired, blue-eyed façade serious. 'I wouldn't miss it for the world. I want you, Valkyrie. Never doubt that.'

* * *

><p>AN: I suspect that the next chapter might see the rating of this fic go up to M. Possibly. We'll see.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: This story is now rated M. It was something I thought long and hard about, but after over 40,000 words of building up to it, I simply didn't feel like "fade to black" was an option. (On the other hand, FFN has its rules, and this is, IMHO, firmly M - in other words, don't expect extremely explicit erotica either.) If you're under 16 years old or simply don't feel comfortable with that, I suggest you either skip the chapter or stop when they get to the bedroom. You're not going to miss anything but the obvious!

Needless to say, the characters are still not mine.

* * *

><p>The party went surprisingly well. Everyone behaved – even Beryl was almost pleasant to talk to. Valkyrie wondered if it was because it was so obvious that she was getting on better than ever with Carol and Crystal; not that they were bosom buddies but she found she didn't mind spending a few minutes now and then talking to the twins.<p>

As long as she didn't have to do it too often, of course.

And no one seemed to notice Fergus disappear to Gordon's office for half an hour, either. Valkyrie had told him how to open the secret door, not wanting to leave it ajar or slip away with Fergus to open it herself in his presence.

So, all in all, she considered the party a success. She got a lovely dress and a necklace from her parents as well as a promise to pay for her driving lessons – she'd completely forgotten to ask about them, as she could drive well enough and having a licence didn't seem too urgent, not without a car of her own. The twins gave her a bracelet that didn't actually look too awful, and from Beryl and Fergus she got a gift card to a Dublin department store; not too original perhaps, but she was sure it would come in much handier than any present they could have picked out themselves. She also got some more gift cards from the rest of the family, which suited her just fine.

The downside of the party being a relative success was that people were not in a rush to leave.

It was nearly midnight when her parents, who had lingered for another twenty minutes after the last of the guests had left, gave her a kiss on the cheek and a hug and said their goodbyes.

She yawned, suddenly tired. She was used to staying up all night and making do with very little sleep when needed, but usually when that happened there was enough adrenaline to keep her going. Tonight she was just tired, exhausted from all the socialising.

Still. Tired or not, there was a phone call she was going to make. The thought was enough to give her energy levels a boost, and after hearing Skulduggery's velvety voice tell her he'd be there in fifteen minutes, a giddy, nervous excitement took care of the last of the exhaustion.

True to his word, Skulduggery arrived exactly fifteen minutes later. Valkyrie knew this as she'd checked the time when she rang him. He actually knocked on the door – the first time since she'd known him, she realised; they always either arrived together or he'd walked right inside when she'd got there first and had agreed to have him pick her up.

She closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and opened the door.

xXx

He looked at her, his skull, gleaming in the light of the chandelier, tilted. 'You're beautiful.'

Valkyrie could feel the blood rush to her cheeks. 'Thanks. You're not looking too bad yourself.'

She had to admit to herself that he cut an impressive figure, especially in the tuxedo he was wearing – not the same one he'd worn to the Requiem Ball, obviously, as that one had got rather tattered in all the fighting – all tall and straight and broad-shouldered. She could feel his magic swirl around in the air and wondered if it was because he was as excited as she was or whether the giddiness she was feeling had heightened her senses, made her more aware of him and his magic. Whatever it was, she hoped it wouldn't disappear.

'Not too bad?' he asked, sounding mock-offended. 'I'll have you know that it took me an hour to get dressed, simply because I couldn't tear myself away from the mirrors. It's very rare that one gets to see a man as dashingly handsome as I am, after all.'

She grinned, glad that he had that wonderful knack of dispersing tension. She knew why he was here tonight, after all. He knew it, too. And she knew that he knew it, and she knew that he knew that she knew that he knew it, and… Even after everything, all these years of friendship and all these weeks, months, of kissing, she was nervous.

'So…' she said, looking up into his eye sockets. 'Um…'

'Yes?'

Her mouth had gone dry. She swallowed, trying to think of the best way to move from point A – standing in the middle of the grand downstairs living room – to point B, the upstairs bedroom that had once been Gordon's, and which she had made sure was presentable. It was odd, taking Gordon's bedroom, especially when he was still floating around, but it _was_ the nicest one in the whole house, much nicer than any of the guest bedrooms, and she'd figured as the new owner, it would only make sense.

Instead, she blurted out, 'My present?'

'Will come tomorrow.' He sounded apologetic. 'It's just that it's rather large, and it needs to be delivered separately, so I thought it would be better if I had it brought here tomorrow.'

'Oh. You're still not going to tell me what it is, are you?'

He laughed. 'No, I'm not. You'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, I'm afraid you'll have to make do with me.'

'I think I can manage.'

'Are you sure?' His voice had dropped a little; it was lower, even more velvety than usual and _definitely_ seductive. She shivered, feeling the heat pool in the pit of her abdomen. Oh yes, she was sure; surer than she'd ever been about this before.

'Oh yes.' She stepped closer and took his hands, the bones of his fingers, firm and safe, tangible beneath the soft leather of his gloves. 'I think I've waited enough; don't you?'

He pulled her closer, so close that his teeth almost touched her forehead. 'You have been exceedingly patient,' he murmured, so low that she had to strain to hear the words. 'I… I hope it's worth the wait, Valkyrie. I don't want to disappoint you.'

She wanted to reassure him, tell him that there was no way he could disappoint her, but the truth was that she had no idea, and she wasn't going to lie to him. She certainly hoped that it would be everything that she had dreamed of and more, that it would be worth the wait, that it would be perfect in every way, that she would enjoy every second of it – but the truth was that she was going to have sex, or as much of it as was possible, with Skulduggery, with a man who was made up of nothing but bones, which was still really, _really_weird to think about, whenever she'd actually tried to imagine it, and she had to acknowledge that as much as she was looking forward to it, and even though she was so used to what Skulduggery was and even though she'd never felt repulsed by him in any way, there was a possibility that she'd just be too weirded out once they got down to it.

Not that she was going to tell him that either.

So she just shrugged. 'We won't know until we've tried,' she said. 'And I'm really looking forward to trying.'

His head dipped a little and when she looked up, her lips found his teeth. She angled her head a little and kissed him, loving the way it felt, loving the way it made every bit of her body sizzle with desire, loving the way her magic swelled inside her, pushing upwards to meet and mingle with his. She'd kissed magical boys before, of course; apart from Caelan, both of the other two boys she'd kissed had had magic. But this was something that had never happened with either of her living boyfriends. Only with Skulduggery.

Her body was pressed against his, any exhaustion she'd felt before swept away. She could feel his ribs against her breasts through the thin layers of fabric separating them; his hands were roaming freely along her back, bolder and more insistent than he'd ever been with her before. She hoped his clever fingers would find the zipper on the back of her dress soon, but knew he probably wouldn't until she'd given him a clear sign – although as far as she was concerned, her signs had been clear enough.

She pulled back, regretfully, a few minutes later. Part of her wished they could just stand there and kiss forever, while the rest of her wasn't going to be satisfied with that.

'Upstairs?' she whispered, still trying to catch her breath.

'Upstairs,' he agreed.

xXx

She wasn't quite sure how they got upstairs to the bedroom – it involved a considerable number of stops on the staircase and kissing; she remembered that much – but they finally made it. Skulduggery's tie had come loose and the two top buttons on his shirt were opened, exposing the upper sternum and the symbols tattooed on his collarbones. Valkyrie took care to avoid touching them. Tonight, she wanted just Skulduggery.

They stopped in the middle of the bedroom. He pulled her into another kiss, but this time, his hands went straight for the zipper on her back, although he took his time with it, letting his fingertips run along her skin as the zipper moved downwards. She managed to manoeuvre one of her hands between them and started working on his buttons, keeping her other hand on his shoulder.

She was so intent on the kiss and his buttons and the wonderful buzz inside her that she barely registered when Skulduggery's hands slid back to her shoulders and pushed down the straps of her dress. He grasped her fingers with his and pushed her back a little, letting go of her hands, enough that her dress, now unhindered by the position of her arms, could slide down all the way, a puddle of silk on the floor.

'You're so beautiful.' His voice was barely above a whisper, quiet and reverent. 'I don't know what I've done to deserve this.'

'And here I was thinking that you are well aware of your exceptional awesomeness,' she said, trying to keep her tone light.

'Oh, I am.' His hand hovered over her arm, not quite touching it. 'I'm charming, brilliant and very good at everything I do. And yet…'

'You know what else you are?'

He tilted his head instead of answering, his dark eye sockets trained on her face.

'Overdressed. Very much so.'

'Hmm. It seems that you might just be right. Doesn't happen often, I know, but this time I have to agree.'

'You're such a goon. And still overdressed.'

His jacket was off in a flash; the tie joined it on the back of a chair a moment later. Her disappointment at missing out on half the fun must have shown on her face. 'I can't let you undress me,' he said, shrugging out of his starched white shirt. 'Another time, yes, but I have to look presentable in these clothes tomorrow at your party. If I let _you_ take them off…'

'They'd be in a crumpled heap on the floor. I know.' She took a step back and sat down on the edge of the bed, deciding to at least enjoy the show if she couldn't actively participate in it. 'You should have worn something else. A dressing gown, maybe. Something that even I couldn't ruin.'

'I'll keep that in mind.' His hands were on his belt buckle now and she had to remind herself to breathe. He hesitated for a moment. 'Just so that we're clear… You do know that there's, um, a distinct lack of something to admire down there, right?'

Valkyrie felt like slamming her head into the nearest wall. 'I know you're a skeleton. I've seen pictures of skeletons. I know you don't have any flesh at all. I won't be disappointed by the lack of it.'

He nodded and dropped his trousers. Valkyrie couldn't help but laugh at the sight of what was revealed – a pale pink silk ribbon tied around his pelvis, with a somewhat flattened bow in the front.

'My birthday present,' she said, once she'd stopped laughing. 'May I unwrap it?'

He kicked off his shoes and socks, completely naked now apart from the gloves that were still on. 'Of course. I'll even let you take off my gloves. By the way, I'd say you're the overdressed one now.'

Valkyrie looked down at her underwear, which was so brief it was barely there.

'Point taken.' She got up and reached out her hand, grabbing one end of the pink bow. 'I go first.'

The ribbon slipped off smoothly and easily. He offered her his hands next; she had to work a bit to get the gloves off, tight as they were, careful to avoid ripping off parts of his fingers with them.

'You're the sexiest skeleton I've ever seen,' she said with a grin once she was done and took a step back again to admire the sight before her. Not that she'd seen many, of course… there had been that plastic one at school, hanging in the corner of one of the classrooms, but she'd never found that one particularly appealing. Skulduggery, on the other hand, may have lacked flesh, muscles and skin, but there was an odd sort of gracefulness about him – gracefulness combined with power, which made him remarkably attractive also physically.

And there was something else she had to admit to herself – the lack of dangly bits, although she suspected it would become impractical at some point, also meant that he didn't look quite as ridiculous as any other man she'd seen naked. The first time she'd seen Fletcher naked, she'd had a hard time taking him seriously.

Skulduggery stepped closer, reaching behind her to open her bra. He didn't have any problems with the clasps and the strapless bra fell on the floor next to her dress. He picked them both up and put them away on the same chair he'd used for his own clothes. She resisted the momentary urge to cover her breasts – she wanted him to see her, but there was still that sense of embarrassment she hadn't quite managed to banish.

She made a quick decision while he was still busy with arranging the clothes on the chair and slipped out of her knickers before sitting down on the bed again.

'Ah,' Skulduggery said when he turned around and looked at her. 'Well.'

She shrugged, fully aware of how that slight motion made his gaze drop to her chest. 'You were busy.'

'So I was,' he agreed before bouncing down on the bed next to her. 'Right, where were we?'

'I think we were doing this before all this stuff about clothes got in the way,' she murmured and pulled him into a kiss. It felt so right, kissing him, without anything between them any longer, and after the months of anticipation, she could finally give in to her desires, delighted to find his response was just as eager, just as passionate, just as hungry.

He was half on top of her, responding to her kisses as well as he could, nipping at the side of her neck with his teeth when her lips were on his jaw and cheekbone and the back of her skull, his hands roaming along her side and stomach, not yet venturing anywhere she wanted them.

She pulled him closer, knowing that he was trying to keep most of his weight off her to avoid bruising or hurting her, but she didn't care about that now. She needed the contact, needed to feel his body tight against hers. And she wasn't in the mood for slow, careful exploration. They'd have all the time for that later; she felt like she would explode if she didn't get what she needed right now.

She grabbed his hand and put it on her breast, her mouth too busy with his jaw to bother with words. Skulduggery didn't need further instructions as he moved downwards along her body, the smooth thin bones of his fingers caressing every inch of her, finally dipping into the wet heat between her legs.

She came with a deep, shuddering breath, bucking against his hand, not more than a few seconds later, which didn't surprise her – it rarely took her long to reach her peak when she was this aroused. What did surprise her was the force of it; she'd had plenty of orgasms before, even at the hands of a boy, but she couldn't remember one this strong. She couldn't even gather her thoughts until she'd had some moments to come down from those dizzying heights again.

His hand was still resting lightly between her legs, mercifully not teasing her any longer – she didn't think she could take it, not yet – when she finally managed to open her eyes again.

'Happy birthday,' he said, his head tilted, his voice smooth and confident.

Valkyrie shivered at the velvety sound. She might have to rethink that 'not yet' bit. 'You don't need to sound so smug,' she said at last, when she'd managed to get her breathing under control again, her voice still a bit rough. 'It was all this anticipation that did it, not your special skills.'

'Hmm,' he whispered, his teeth close to her ear, nipping at it gently. 'So what would I have to do to prove myself?'

She let her fingers run lightly over his ribs, taking another deep breath. 'I think we'd have to try this again, under more controlled circumstances. Just give me a few moments.'

It was his turn to shudder when her hands moved downwards. 'Does that feel good?' she asked, trying to pay attention to the small signs his involuntary shivers and breaths gave her. 'Do you… I mean, I don't even know what you'd like me to do.'

'Keep going,' he murmured, lying down on his back next to her. 'Just being touched like this… I can't feel the sort of things I could when I was still alive, but it was such a long time ago that I don't even remember what it felt like. This' —his entire body trembled when she planted a kiss on one of his lower ribs— 'this is wonderful. It hurts when someone hits me, or kicks me, or punches me, but this… A light touch, it's… I don't know if I can explain it, but it's amazing.'

She smiled against his hip bone. 'Light touch. I can do that.' She closed her eyes, focusing on the scent of him, the way the bones felt against her lips and her fingertips, so very relieved. It was going to work out. She was certain about that now, any lingering doubts brushed away. At the very least, it wasn't going to fail because of any physical issues.

And she was _really_ looking forward to round two. It was going to be a fun night.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Still not mine. And we're firmly back in T territory for now, I think.

* * *

><p>The sun was high up in the sky when Valkyrie opened her eyes, shaken awake by the bony hand of the skeleton sitting up next to her in the bed.<p>

She blinked. It only took her a moment to remember what had happened the night before – not once, not twice, but at least three times, from what she could recall – and she gave him a sleepy grin. 'Good morning,' she said.

'Good morning.' His voice, barely above a murmur, made her lick her lips in anticipation, but then he put a finger to his teeth. 'Hush. Listen. I think—'

_'Stephanie?'_

She had to struggle to keep her voice down. 'Mum?'

'I heard the door being unlocked a minute ago,' Skulduggery whispered. 'And then she called out your name, so I thought it might be a better idea to wake you up, rather than dash downstairs and try to deal with the potential intruder myself.'

Valkyrie gulped. She wasn't fully alert yet, but awake enough to realise she had to act, and act fast.

'Stay here,' she whispered. When he nodded, she planted a quick kiss on his teeth and got up, trying furiously to remember where she'd put the spare clothes she'd taken with her yesterday. Ah yes – in a heap on the bottom of the large wardrobe, which looked like it was at least two hundred years old.

She wriggled into her underwear and pulled on her jeans and T-shirt, hoping that her mother wouldn't reach the bedroom before she was done.

Damn. There were footsteps on the stairs. 'Coming!' she shouted out and hurriedly closed the door behind her.

xXx

Melissa Edgley smiled in relief when her daughter emerged from the upstairs corridor. 'Stephanie,' she greeted her. 'Good morning! I didn't wake you up, did I?'

Stephanie yawned. 'Hi, Mum. Um… what time is it?'

Melissa checked her watch. 'Quarter past ten. I did wake you, didn't I. Oh, I'm sorry about that. It's just that I left my handbag here last night, with my purse and phone in there, so I thought I'd come by and pick it up, and perhaps help you clear away last night's dishes while I'm at it.'

Stephanie winced at the mention of the time. 'It took me a while to get to sleep last night. It's okay though.'

Melissa nodded. 'Strange house and all, and lots of excitement yesterday.'

'Yeah. Must have been that.'

There was something a bit odd in her voice, as if there was something else – something she didn't want her to know. Considering what she'd just spotted outside… She looked at her daughter. 'Speaking of strange things, I couldn't help but notice a car parked outside, which definitely wasn't there last night when we left. A rather interesting car, too, old-looking but very well cared for.'

She had the oddest feeling that she'd seen the car somewhere before – in Haggard, even – but she couldn't quite place it.

'Um. There is?'

The light in the corridor was dim, but when Stephanie turned her head, she noticed something. She took a step closer to get a better look. 'What's that on your neck? It almost looks like… Oh, Stephanie. Are those teeth marks?'

Her daughter turned an interesting shade of red. Melissa shook her head. Well, that explained it – the strange car, Stephanie sleeping in late, and, come to think of it, that whole plan of hers, staying at the house overnight. Well, she _was_ eighteen, but she hadn't even known Stephanie was seeing anyone currently.

She sighed. Her daughter was old enough to make her own choices, but she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that Stephanie hadn't felt comfortable enough to tell her that she was involved with someone. Unless it was someone she was ashamed of, perhaps?

'Is it someone you're just having a bit of fun with, or are you serious about this boy?' she asked, trying to make sure she didn't sound judgmental. 'It's just that if it's someone you're serious about, I'd like to meet him.'

'It's not exactly a boy.'

'Oh.' Melissa blinked. Something else she hadn't known about her daughter, apparently. She'd only shown interest in boys before. 'A girl? Um… well, that's nice, too.'

'No! Not that. It's, uh, well… he's a bit older than me. A man. Not a boy.'

'Oh.' An older man. Well, she could understand that, having had a crush on a few men in their late twenties and early thirties back when she'd been Stephanie's age. And it made sense, with the flashy car, and Stephanie trying to keep it a secret. 'How much older?'

Her daughter gave a noncommittal shrug. 'Older. But yeah, I'm serious about him.'

'Are you going to introduce us?'

Stephanie looked embarrassed. Melissa winced inwardly, realising the awkwardness of the timing. Her daughter might have been old enough to spend the night with a man, but being asked to introduce him to her mother the following morning… yes, she'd have been embarrassed, too.

'Of course,' she said after a moment. 'I'll just… I'll be right back.'

She hadn't taken more than a few steps towards the bedroom when the door opened and the mystery man stepped out. He looked rather dashing, from what Melissa could make out in this light – tall and thin, wearing a sharp-looking tuxedo with the tie hanging loose around his neck, his dark blond hair a little shaggy. He looked in his mid- to late thirties – a bit older, then, than she'd have expected, but yes, she could see why her daughter would have fallen for this man. She hoped he hadn't pressured her into anything; Stephanie had always had a mind of her own, but she was still a teenaged girl, and even the strongest-minded teenaged girls could be swayed by a good-looking man whispering promises in their ear.

He gave her a polite nod. 'Hello, Mrs Edgley.' His voice was smooth like velvet and she found herself smiling at him. There was something… She had the oddest feeling, just like with the car, that she'd met this man somewhere before, although he looked unfamiliar.

'Mum, this is…' She could hear the hesitancy in Stephanie's voice. 'This is Robbie.'

'Nice to meet you, Robbie.' She was almost certain that the man was called something else, but she wasn't going to press the point. For now.

'It's a pleasure to meet you at last.' The man tilted his head. She noticed the skin on his face looked a little off, somehow – a bit waxy – and that his hands were gloved. He must have seen what she was looking at as he smiled and said, 'I'm afraid I was burned badly in a fire some years ago.'

His voice sounded so familiar, although she just couldn't place it… And those gloved hands. Tall, thin, covered up from head to toe even in a hot summer day, velvety voice, the way he tilted his head… Oh. Oh! Yes, she'd never seen his face before, but she'd certainly met him.

'We have met before, haven't we?' she asked. Her gaze went to Stephanie for a moment, enough to see her daughter blanch. 'You were at the reading of Gordon's will, weren't you? A friend of his?' He'd had an odd name, the sort of name you just couldn't forget, although it took her a moment to dig it out of the recesses of her brain. 'Mr Pleasant? Skulduggery Pleasant?'

The man's smile didn't waver. 'Guilty as charged.'

She turned to her daughter. 'Did you know this?' She knew the answer, of course; she could bet her head on Stephanie being completely aware of her boyfriend's identity. 'How long has this been going on?'

Her daughter exchanged a look with the man. 'I think we'd better go downstairs and sit down,' she suggested. There was a note of resignation in her voice.

They ended up in the kitchen.

'Tea?' Mr Pleasant asked, his hand hovering above the kettle. It didn't look like this was the first time he'd made tea in this kitchen. Of course if he'd been a friend of Gordon's, he could probably find his way around here better than she could. She wasn't sure she liked that thought. It was one thing to find out her daughter had fallen for a dashing, if older, stranger; it was something else to wonder if the man was a stranger to her daughter at all – and how long this secret relationship between them had been going on.

'Tea sounds good,' Stephanie said. The man nodded and waited for Melissa's answer, so she finally sighed and said, 'I'll have a cup, too.'

He put the kettle on and found two mugs and tea bags, but didn't join them at the table. She noticed he exchanged another look with Stephanie. It looked a lot like they were trying to decide what to tell her.

'I'd like to know the truth,' she said, putting an end to the silent conversation going on between her daughter and that man. 'All of it.'

Pleasant dipped his head. 'Fair enough. To start with, I should probably say that Stephanie and I have indeed known each other for a while now.' He stumbled slightly over her name; it was almost as if he'd been about to say something else. Curious. 'Since… Shortly after the reading of Gordon's will, which you mentioned earlier, in fact. And over time, we've become good friends. We haven't been, ah, involved, for more than a couple of months though.'

'It sort of turned into a bit more than just friendship earlier this summer,' her daughter added. 'And just so you know, Skulduggery insisted on waiting until my birthday with, well—' Her blush made it more than clear what she meant.

The kettle boiled. Pleasant poured water into the mugs and handed one of them to Stephanie, after adding two spoonfuls of sugar to it. He paused before giving Melissa the other mug. 'Milk? Sugar?' he asked her.

'Both, thanks.' She had to admit his composure was admirable. Many men would not have been able to act so calmly after having their secret relationship with a much younger girl dragged out in the open.

'You mentioned you were friends,' she said, her hands busy with her tea. 'Isn't it rather unusual for a grown man to befriend a child, which my daughter was at the time?'

He gave her a nod, acknowledging her words. 'We met under somewhat unusual circumstances,' he said. His gaze was at Stephanie again, and whatever it was that he saw in her face made him pause. 'I think I'd rather let Stephanie explain, if you don't mind. It might be better if you heard her version of what happened.'

Stephanie cleared her throat. 'Uncle Gordon didn't die a natural death,' she said, carefully.

Whatever Melissa had expected to hear, that was not it. 'What? But—'

'It was determined that the cause of death was a heart attack,' Pleasant confirmed. 'However, we're quite certain that Gordon was murdered, and in such a way that it would _look_ as a heart attack for anyone who had no reason to doubt that.'

'Murdered?'

Stephanie took over. 'We know this because the night… Remember the night after reading the will, the night I stayed here alone?'

Melissa nodded, too shocked to say anything.

'As we later found out, Uncle Gordon had something that some people wanted, an artefact that they were willing to kill for. And they hadn't got it when they murdered him, so they came back. I was attacked, but Skulduggery – he's a detective, and as a friend of Gordon, he had his suspicions, so he'd been watching the house – rushed in here just in time to save me.' Stephanie raised her head and looked her in the eyes. 'He saved my life that night, Mum. I know we've kept a lot from you, and I know you're upset, and that you will be angry with me, but he's a good man. And that's how we met.'

'You're… you're not just making this all up, are you?'

'She's not,' Pleasant said. 'And to answer your question on how we became friends… I tried very hard, back then, to convince Stephanie to go home, to stay out of that whole unfortunate business – it was dangerous, and it was no place for a child – but she turned out to be a remarkably stubborn child.'

Melissa had to agree with that. 'Still, stubborn or not, she was only twelve at the time!'

'Don't blame him,' Stephanie said. 'My life was in danger – those men who were after Uncle Gordon's artefact, they didn't care that I didn't have anything to do with it or that I was only twelve. Once I got mixed into this whole thing, once I'd got in their way, they were determined to get rid of me as well. It was obvious to me. So I insisted on going after them with Skulduggery, as taking an active role seemed to make more sense than hiding at home, being afraid they'd come back for me. He tried to make me stay behind, he really did. I just wouldn't take no for an answer.'

'Remarkably stubborn,' he said again, this time with a fondness in his velvety voice that spoke volumes of his feelings for her daughter.

'Why didn't you go to the police? If this was murder, and you' —she looked at Pleasant— 'had any evidence or a good reason to suspect, then wouldn't it have been up to them to do something? If not before, then surely after Stephanie had been attacked?' She still couldn't quite wrap her brain around that last bit. Her daughter, her Stephanie, had been in danger – had nearly been killed, by the sound of it! – and she had never known.

There was another exchange of pointed looks. Stephanie cleared her throat.

'It wasn't as simple as that.'

'Why not?'

'Um… You know that Uncle Gordon was into all sorts of things a bit unusual?'

Melissa smiled, remembering the short period she and Gordon had courted, before she'd met his younger brother. He'd always been into the paranormal, magic and fantasy. She'd found it rather sweet – the way a grown man, with such a sharp and clever mind, had been so genuinely into all that.

Desmond hadn't liked it, or the crowd Gordon got involved with. The crowd Mr Pleasant here seemed to have been part of.

'Fantasy and magic and witchcraft? That sort of unusual?' she asked.

'Mmm.' Stephanie was clearly about to say something else, but hesitated. Melissa looked at her friend.

'You might as well tell her now,' he said gently. 'I think we've reached the point where your mother needs to know.'

'Needs to know what?' she asked, confused now but determined to not let go until she'd been told everything.

'Magic,' Pleasant said, looking straight at her. 'It's real. That's what Stephanie is trying to say. And the people who killed Gordon – the people who attacked your daughter – they used magic. The police, even the Gardai here in Ireland, where magic is stronger than in many other places, are not equipped to deal with such threats or solve cases where magic is involved.'

She stared at her tea for a moment. 'And you are?'

'Skulduggery is a detective, as I mentioned before,' Stephanie put in quietly. 'He's also a sorcerer. A very powerful one, in fact. And… I didn't know it at the time, but magic runs in our family, Mum. In Dad's family, that is. That's why Gordon was into it, although he didn't have any himself. Uncle Fergus has a bit, I think, but he's the only one of the three brothers.'

Melissa closed her eyes. She must have been dreaming. All this… it didn't make any sense at all, did it? What had these people done to her little girl, to make her believe all that?

'Mum,' Stephanie said.

She opened her eyes again and gasped: there was a flame dancing in her daughter's cupped palms, licking at her skin but not burning it.

'Magic is real.' Stephanie's voice was pleading, trying to make her understand, to believe.

'It's just a trick… Isn't it?'

'It's not a trick.' She closed her hand, extinguishing the flame, and snapped her fingers, creating a new one. She let it grow in her hand for a few moments before throwing it at Pleasant who gave a lazy wave and directed it into the kitchen sink where it went out with a sizzle. 'I can do Elemental magic, Mum. I have some control over fire, water and air. Skulduggery has been training me for years now, but only after I found out I could do it – I did that on my own, so don't blame him for getting me involved in this either.'

She shook her head, trying to take in everything she'd heard in the last half an hour. It was too much, just too much.

'Could you leave us alone for a moment?' she asked after a moment's silence.

Pleasant nodded. 'Of course.'

When he'd left the kitchen, she looked at her daughter. Stephanie was fidgeting with her mug.

'You've been keeping a lot of things from us, haven't you? Your father and me?'

'Yeah. I'm sorry.'

'I'm not sure _sorry_ is enough under the circumstances.'

Stephanie raised her head. 'I know. But what else could I say? I've felt awful about it, but I just didn't feel I could tell you. I… I talked to Dad, soon after Uncle Gordon's death, and he warned me about getting involved with that "cult" Gordon had been a part of. He told me about how his grandfather had told them about the magic running in our family, and how it's all a load of nonsense. I'd already met Skulduggery and some of Gordon's other friends by then, and I just… I couldn't tell you about it, not after finding out what Dad thought about them, not after finding out and knowing for certain that magic was real. And I couldn't give up all that either – not Skulduggery, not magic, not anything. I was born to be a part of that world, Mum. And then… the more I got involved, the more I had to hide from you, and I just…'

'It snowballed, from keeping some things from us into keeping almost everything from us?'

'Yeah. I've hated it, I really have. I've wished so many times that I could tell you, but I _know_ Dad wouldn't approve and I didn't want him to hate me, or to be disappointed in me.'

'Oh, Stephanie. Your Dad could never hate you.'

'But he would be disappointed. And upset.'

Melissa thought about it. Stephanie was right, at least when it came to Desmond's opinion about all those things Gordon had been involved with. Her husband was a wonderful man – funny, warm, laid back most of the time, but there were a few things he could get passionately and almost unreasonably angry about, and they'd all involved Gordon and his hobbies and his choice of friends.

'You have to tell him, Stephanie,' she said gently.

'I know. I just… Could you, um, not tell him? At least for a bit?'

She sighed. 'I'll give you a week. And then I'll tell him myself, if you don't.'

Stephanie nodded. 'Okay. I think I'd almost prefer it if you did, to be honest.'

'We'll see how it goes.' She looked at her daughter. 'Look… This man, Skulduggery, he hasn't put any pressure on you, has he? I know what you said, but you have to admit, if you look at it from my angle – we have a grown man here, much older than you, who has been spending time with you for years, as I understand, teaching you these things. Has it occurred to you that he's perhaps been waiting for his chance? Making sure, as you've grown older, that you'd come to see him as your friend, someone you can trust, so that he could take advantage of you?'

Stephanie snorted. 'I understand why it might look like that to you, but no. It really wasn't like that, believe me. He's… He's not like other men.'

'That's what many young women believe about their boyfriends,' Melissa said gently.

Stephanie shook her head. 'I know, but really, Skulduggery's different. And I had to work hard to convince him to give us a chance, once I realised I wanted him to be more than just my best friend.'

Melissa pursed her lips. It was obvious that Stephanie was in love, and she knew from experience that a teenager in love couldn't be convinced otherwise. The best she could do was support her daughter and be there for her once the inevitable heartbreak happened.

'Just be careful, okay?' she said at last. 'You are using protection, yes?'

Stephanie blushed again. 'We're not… Er, that is… He doesn't… Look, I'm not going to go into detail here, but there won't be any grandchildren for you any time soon, I promise. Really.'

She raised her eyebrows. Was Stephanie trying to imply something? Well, whatever it was, she'd just have to believe her. 'Good.'

'Look, mum…' Stephanie drank the last of her now cold tea and made a face. 'Look, there's something else you should know about Skulduggery, now that you know about him and that I'm together with him… The thing is… The next time you see him, he'll probably look a bit different. Or maybe more than a bit.'

'What do you mean?'

'Remember what he said earlier? That he was badly burnt some time ago?'

'Oh yes. The gloves. Is this why he was completely covered up at the reading of the will?' It had struck her as extremely odd at the time, and was probably the main reason why she'd remembered the man in the first place.

'Yeah. He had to wear a disguise back then or he'd have scared people too much. I actually fainted the first time I saw him without his disguise.' She grinned. 'Anyway, a couple of years ago a friend of ours came up with a magical disguise for him, so that he wouldn't have to wear all that attraction-seeking get-up every time he ventured out. The problem is though that he gets a different face every time he activates it.'

'I see.' Melissa felt dizzy. It really was far too much to take in, all in one day. 'It's just his face that changes though, yes?'

'Yes. So if you see me with a man who is tall and thin and wears exquisitely tailored clothes and gloves and drives a 1954 Bentley, that would be Skulduggery, no matter what he looks like.'

'Why doesn't he just keep one face on all the time?'

Stephanie smiled. 'I rather like him the way he really is. I'm so used to what he looks like that it doesn't bother me.'

Melissa sighed. She had misjudged Stephanie, it seemed – if he was as badly disfigured as she'd implied, it must have been more than just a crush on a good-looking older man. Perhaps it really was love, at least on her side. She wasn't at all sure what to think about Skulduggery Pleasant, yet, but if he made her daughter happy…

'You know that it will take me a while before I can trust you again, don't you?' she asked at last.

'Yeah. I'm going to have to work for it. I'm glad I don't need to keep all those secrets from you though. Really.'

She looked at her daughter. Stephanie truly had grown up, living a life she knew nothing about. Melissa _was_ upset with her, there was no point in denying that, but she knew she'd try her best to meet her half way.

'Right.' She got up. 'So… Would you like me to stay and help you prepare for your party this evening, or would you prefer I left the two of you alone?'

'Stay. Please. We could use the help, and the company.'

She waited until Stephanie had stood up, too, and pulled her into a hug. 'I love you, my little girl. I'm still upset with you, but I don't want to lose you.'

'I know, Mum,' she whispered into her ear. 'I know.'


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: I'm still dreadfully busy, but here's the new chapter. As a reminder, this story is rated M now, which means there may be the occasional slightly steamier scene in it in the future, like in this chapter. If you'd prefer to skip it, I suggest you skip the shower scene. (I expect to get back to something resembling a plot eventually. Really.)

Anything you recognise is still not mine. The characters belong to Derek Landy. I just like to undress them from time to time.

* * *

><p>Valkyrie's mother left an hour later. The mansion was tidy, the dishes for the evening's party either in the fridge or sitting under covers in the kitchen.<p>

She flopped down on the sofa and patted the seat next to her. Skulduggery put an arm around her.

'Are you OK?' he asked.

Valkyrie took a deep breath. 'I think so. It's not what I planned or expected to happen – it's something I've feared for years, really; not that mum would practically walk in on us but that my parents would find out, that they'd know I've been lying to them for so long. But now that it's out in the open, I almost feel relieved.'

'You did a very good job at presenting the truth selectively.'

She twisted her body a little, so that she could look up at him. 'I know. I don't think I'm anywhere close to ready to tell them everything. I don't think they'd be ready to accept it, either. It's one thing to tell mum about magic, and that my life was once in danger; it's something else to ask them to accept that I've been near death more than once. Or that one day I might destroy them and the world. Or that the well-tailored clothes my boyfriend is wearing are hiding a skeleton.'

'There's a skeleton hidden under everyone's clothes. Most people just have an extra layer of flesh between theirs and the clothes.'

'I doubt that would make it any easier for my parents to accept, somehow.' She leaned into his body. 'Dad's going to be so upset.'

'And then he'll get over it. It's what parents do.'

'I hope so.' She was quiet for a moment. 'I think I want a shower now. It's been a stressful morning. And maybe I should get rid of all those lovely little mementoes you left all over my body last night. If mum could spot the bruises, then others will, too.' Her hand went on her neck, touching the place Skulduggery had nibbled on.

'You're not regretting it, are you?'

'God, no! I was actually just thinking that now would be a good time to try and talk you into taking that shower with me.' She slid her hand onto his chest. 'We should make sure I'm relaxed by the time the guests arrive, don't you agree?'

He laughed. 'I might be persuaded to accompany you. Anything for the birthday girl.'

'Speaking of which, when is my present going to get here?'

He fished out his pocket watch and opened it. 'In two and a half hours. We have plenty of time. In the meantime, I do have something else for you.'

'Didn't I already unwrap that something else last night?'

'You did.' He looked amused. 'But there's more. I'm in a giving mood.'

He pulled an envelope out of an inside pocket and handed it to her.

Valkyrie opened the envelope. There was a piece of heavy paper inside. She unfolded it to reveal a crayon drawing – yellow sun, foamy blue waves, pyramids, the Eiffel tower, something that was probably supposed to be the Colosseum in Rome (at least when she squinted), and some other things she couldn't quite recognise.

'Um… That's very nice. Did you draw it yourself?'

'I did.'

Valkyrie cocked her head at him. 'Thank you.'

He leaned back on the sofa. 'I thought you might like a proper holiday. Any time, any place – well, within reason, I have to keep something in store for your next important birthday. A week or two somewhere in Europe, maybe Egypt or Turkey if you'd prefer a sunny beach. Something like that. Just the two of us, no work or worries. Your choice.'

She blinked. 'Really?'

'Really. I know you enjoyed all those little jaunts with Fletcher. I can't offer you that, but not being a Teleporter doesn't mean that we can't go somewhere, although it would be easier for me if we stayed within the Schengen area and took a ferry or train instead of a plane. Still, there are ways to get around passport control.'

She kissed him on the lips, enjoying the way his mouth flexed under hers, and sent a small thank-you to China in her mind; as much as she enjoyed kissing Skulduggery without his façade on, it was nice to have some variety at times, especially when that variety came with a pair of lips and a skilful tongue that felt almost real.

'Shower now?' she murmured against his mouth, feeling desire pool in her stomach again.

'If you insist.'

xXx

The master bathroom was large and luxurious. Valkyrie undressed quickly and turned on the shower. She was already standing under the hot jets of water when Skulduggery joined her, his façade turned off again. He held up his hand to keep the water away from him.

'You're supposed to let the water hit you,' Valkyrie said. 'That's what people do in the shower.'

'But it's wet.'

'Well, yes. So?'

'I'll get soaked.'

'I repeat: so?' She grinned and splashed some water at him, making sure it would get past his no-water zone. 'You can always dry yourself off later. And me, of course.'

'Hmm. We'll see.' He directed the water at her, manipulating it so that it hit her nipples at just the right angle. 'I think you need to get wet first. Properly.'

She grinned and pulled him against her. 'I _am_ wet. Quite properly. Check for yourself if you don't believe me.'

He turned her so that her back was pressed against his front and she could see both of them reflected in the large floor-to-ceiling mirror on the opposite wall. 'I might just do that,' he whispered in her ear, letting his fingers travel down her stomach and lower, parting the carefully trimmed dark curls. She shivered and leaned against him, letting him support her weight, and kept her eyes on the mirror. She'd never considered herself either a voyeur or an exhibitionist, but the sight coupled with the light touch of his deft fingers left her breathless with arousal.

xXx

She was glad he'd put his arm around her as her knees wobbled and her legs felt weak for a few long moments afterwards.

'Are you sufficiently relaxed now?' he asked once she'd got her breathing under control again. 'We have time for more, you know.'

She turned around and kissed him. 'I think that's enough for now. Any more relaxing and I'd be in danger of falling asleep, or at least having my legs give up on me completely.'

'And we wouldn't want that, would we.' He reached behind his back and turned off the shower. 'Towel or me?'

'Do you really need to ask?' Who needed towels anyway when they had a friend who was so skilled at manipulating water? Besides, he only had himself to blame for that wonderful little tradition, what with forgetting about towels that first time he'd proudly shown her to his brand new bathroom.

He held out his hand and Valkyrie felt the water leave her skin and hair. Perfect. As always. It took Skulduggery a moment to dry off himself as well and then they were left standing in the middle of the bathroom, gazing at each other.

'Any other plans for this afternoon?' he asked.

Valkyrie shrugged. The rumble in her stomach reminded her that she was really quite hungry. 'Get dressed, eat something – with mum here earlier, I forgot about breakfast completely. Then sit around and wait for my present to arrive. We could watch something? Or talk to Gordon? Or just spend some time together doing nothing? We could even fit in a few hours of training.'

xXx

Skulduggery found a pile of old newspapers and stacked them up neatly on the kitchen table. Valkyrie took a bite of her sandwich and let her eyes rest on him, completely immersed as he was in the first paper he'd picked up.

Best friend. Partner. _Lover._ He was everything to her, and she had no idea when or how it had happened. She couldn't imagine her life without him anymore. She didn't _want__to_ imagine her life without him. She wasn't sure she could go on if he wasn't there. Not as herself, anyway; not as Valkyrie Cain. Not even as Stephanie Edgley, pretending nothing had ever happened.

She felt the dark tendrils reach out in her brain, probe gently but insistently, reminding her of that third part of her, the part she wished she'd never known about. The part she now did know about and couldn't ignore, not completely; the part that was so tempting at times that she didn't want to ignore it. Skulduggery was her anchor, keeping Valkyrie Cain on top and Darquesse still leashed.

Darquesse. It always came down to Darquesse. Even today, which should have been filled with nothing but joy, the thought of Darquesse was there, poisoning her mind.

Valkyrie sighed. She really needed to think about something else. The sandwich, for example, which tasted a little stale but was filling. Her gaze wandered back to Skulduggery, away from her sandwich, and she found herself admiring the smooth curve of his gleaming skull, the way it stayed attached to his spine, the way the sunlight streaming in through the kitchen window caught on his cheekbones… She shook her head, feeling dizzy with desire. This was getting ridiculous. She couldn't possibly want him _again_, could she?

'Skulduggery?'

'Hmm?' He looked up from his paper.

'Anything interesting in there?'

'Oh yes. I never knew how much arguing there was over the appointment of the new head of the Haggard community centre six years ago.'

Valkyrie rolled her eyes. 'Why are you reading those old things anyway?'

'Because there aren't any fresh ones around. If you do decide to move in, I suggest you subscribe to something.'

'You could always read the news on your phone.'

Skulduggery harrumphed. 'It's not the same.'

'Old-fashioned, are you?'

'There is a lot to be said for that. Better cars, better clothes, real newspapers.'

'Better women?'

Skulduggery tilted his head. 'Hmm.'

'That's not what you were supposed to say.'

'Really? Oh.'

She pushed her empty plate aside and stood up. 'You're so silly. And yet for some reason I seem to like you.'

'You do, don't you?'

'I really have no idea why. Even now. I mean, here I was, having my breakfast, and at the same time my mind was busy working out all the ways I could get your clothes off again. Hormones?'

Skulduggery looked at her. 'Again? I'm flattered, really. And relieved, to be honest.'

'I know. I'm relieved, too. I really did enjoy last night. And the shower. And I can't wait to do it again, except that I'm feeling a little guilty about getting more out of it than you do.'

'I get plenty out of it.' He reached out his hand and gave her fingers a light squeeze. 'Just knowing that you desire me – that I can give you pleasure – it's enough for me. More than enough. And it feels wonderful, physically as well, just to be with you, to have you touch me.'

She smiled. For all his ego, he could be terribly sweet at times.

xXx

She heard the delivery van before it had even come to a stop.

Skulduggery nodded towards the front door. 'That would be your birthday present, I believe. You should probably go and sign for it.'

'Aren't you coming?'

He activated his façade. 'In a moment. Go ahead.'

Valkyrie couldn't hold back a gasp as she opened the door and saw what the delivery men were rolling out from the back of the van. She turned around and looked at Skulduggery.

'It's a bike.'

'It is indeed.'

'A motorbike.'

'I'm very glad you can tell what it is. It would have been a pity if you hadn't been able to recognise it.'

'You're giving me a bike for my birthday.'

'I am.' He cocked his head at her. 'This doesn't mean that you're not allowed to ride with me any longer – you know that, yes? But I know you value your independence and would prefer to have a means to get around easily, and not having to wait for me to pick you up every time you need to go somewhere… I thought it's about time.'

Valkyrie grinned. 'Thank you. This is… Well, considering certain other things, I don't think I can say this is the best present I've ever got, but it's close.'

She went over to the van and signed the delivery papers.

'That's a beautiful bike you've got there,' the driver remarked. 'Special occasion?'

'You could say that.' Valkyrie looked at the bike. The driver was right – it _was_ beautiful. And old. In spite of having wanted a bike of her own ever since that first exhilarating ride with Tanith, she was far from being an expert, not having expected to get one of her own any time soon yet. But it was obvious that this bike was vintage, all gleaming chrome and cherry-red paint.

Skulduggery joined her outside when the delivery van had left. 'She's a Triumph Speed Twin 5T, made in 1938.' He brushed his gloved hand across the handlebar. 'I probably shouldn't have to say this, but it's a bike that deserves to be taken care of.'

Valkyrie nodded. 'So by getting me a gorgeous vintage model, you're trying to make sure I won't take unnecessary risks.'

'Exactly.' He gave her a pointed look. 'Don't think that because she's old, she's slow and useless. She can go more than fast enough for any road in Ireland.'

Valkyrie circled the Triumph. 'Does it come with petrol?'

'Yes.' Skulduggery looked at her. 'Can you actually ride a bike?'

'Well…' Valkyrie tested the padded seat. 'Tanith gave me a few lessons before she… So I sort of know the basics. I think. But that was a couple of years ago. I can learn, though; it wasn't too complicated.'

'I thought as much. It's a good thing I can teach you all about it, then, before you get her registered in your name and all the rest of the paperwork in order. You'll need a driving licence as well, so you should start thinking about when to apply for a test.'

'Are you saying that you can ride a bike?'

Skulduggery's eyebrows went up. 'Of course I can. I learned to ride these things when they first came out, you know! I'm just choosing not to, as I feel a car is a better fit for me.'

'I don't know; I think you'd look quite dashing on a bike.' Her lips quirked as she imagined herself on the beautiful Triumph, sitting behind him, her arms around his thin waist, her front pressed against his back. Or better yet, having her in the front and Skulduggery riding behind her as the passenger, holding on to her… On second thoughts, that might be entirely too distracting. She really didn't want to hit a tree because her attention was elsewhere.

She circled the bike a few more times, admiring the details and the work that had gone into it. It looked as if it had left the factory only last week, shiny and spotless. 'Is it new?' she asked. 'I mean, has it actually been used before?'

'She was used quite heavily for a few years,' Skulduggery said. 'I had her thoroughly checked, though, and she's in excellent condition. I actually took her out for a spin before having her delivered, just to make sure.'

There was something in his voice that made Valkyrie look up. 'Was it yours?'

He hesitated only a moment. 'Yes. I bought her when she was new, just released. She's been in storage for the last seventy years.'

Valkyrie whistled. 'Wow. And you're just giving it to me?'

'I haven't needed her for those last seventy years. It would be a pity to let such a beautiful piece of work just rust away unused, don't you think?'

'It would indeed.' She looked at the bike in a whole new way now. This had belonged to Skulduggery's past – the past she could never be a part of herself. It didn't matter how many times she reminded herself of his age; it was still strange to realise that right here was something – a very tangible, real something – that had been a part of his life at a time when Valkyrie's grandparents weren't even born yet.

It was something she just needed to deal with. She didn't think it would become a problem, not really; she'd been friends with Skulduggery for a third of her life now and knowing that he'd been around for centuries didn't bother her.

'You've really decided to spoil me this time,' she said with a smile. 'The bike, the promised holiday…'

He looked down. 'You've had a tough few years. I decided you deserved something nice for a change. Something to bring a smile to your face. Something to make you happy.'

'Thank you.' She wrapped her arms around her and hugged him, her heart lighter than it had been for a while. She'd never needed _things_ to be happy – she didn't think happiness could be bought – but then, none of Skulduggery's birthday presents this time were that anyway, were they? He hadn't _bought_her things. He'd given her something far more valuable – a part of himself, a part of his past and an offer of a future together.

Skulduggery pushed her away gently a few minutes later. His gaze flicked over to the bike. 'Would you like to give her a go? I didn't get you a helmet, as I thought you'd prefer to choose your own, so there will be no taking her out on the road today.'

'I'd love to. You mean that you'll let me drive?'

'Yes. With my supervision, of course – I'm not going to let you ride it on your own just yet. And once you've shown me that you can recognise all the bits and parts and what they're good for, like how to brake and how to turn. And you'll have to promise me that you won't be trying to go fast or take sharp turns.'

Valkyrie laughed. 'I can't believe you'd even let me sit down on it without a helmet. You do know there are no seatbelts either, right?'

'Unfortunately I do. Perhaps I should have looked into it. I'm sure there is _some_ way to add them.'

She shook her head, grinning. 'I think there's a reason why they don't come with seatbelts, so don't even try.'


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Still not mine. Alas.

* * *

><p>Valkyrie hadn't invited many guests. Skulduggery, of course. Ghastly and Erskine.<p>

She'd have wanted to invite Dexter Vex, in spite of only ever having met the man once before – she'd found him so interesting at the Requiem Ball – but he was off having adventures again somewhere and besides, considering how easy it had been to flirt with him at the time, she decided it would be better to avoid the temptation. Her relationship with Skulduggery was still too new, and in spite of all his posturing, he was still so vulnerable, that Valkyrie was determined to avoid anything that would have the potential to hurt him.

She'd invited Fletcher, of course. No danger there. Probably. She was more than over him after all – not that there really had been anything to get over in the first place.

She'd also invited a handful of people she knew from the Sanctuary, people she was on relatively friendly terms with – Flaring, Kallista, Geoffrey Scrutinous, a young Adept whose name she kept forgetting but who'd made her laugh more than once with his jokes.

And China. Which she had neglected to mention to Skulduggery. Well, he _had_ said that he was going to try and be civil to China, back when they'd been on their sheeple orgy case, and even something about how they should go and visit her, but somehow that had never happened. He hadn't really even mentioned her since then, and she was quite sure that Skulduggery had neither contacted China nor seen her. She just had to hope that he remembered what he'd said back then – and that it wouldn't be too painful for him to have China at the party.

Valkyrie winced. Yeah. Perhaps she should have said something to him after all. At least he could have prepared himself.

Better late than never, she thought, but just as she opened her mouth to tell Skulduggery, the doorbell rang.

Skulduggery looked at her. She was still wearing the clothes from earlier, except that the bottoms of her jeans were muddy now, as were her elbows – she'd managed to convince Skulduggery to let her do a few spins on her own, which had ended with a rather ungraceful tumble on the ground. At least she hadn't broken any bones and the bike was fine, too, if not nearly as shiny as before.

'Unless you intend to meet your visitors looking like you just fell off a bike,' he said, 'you should probably go and put on something else. I'll get the door and keep them entertained.'

Valkyrie snorted. 'As long as you don't punch them in the face. Even if it's Fletcher.'

'Would I do that?'

'Oh yes, you would.'

'Hmm, yes, you're right. Very well, I'll try to keep my violent tendencies in check. Even if it's Fletcher and he still has that awful hair.'

'You're just jealous because you don't have any.'

'I'd rather have none than hair like his.'

She shook her head. 'Fletcher's hair was cool, you know. You're just too old-fashioned to appreciate it.'

'I have good taste, you mean.'

She hit him lightly on the arm. 'Go and get that door. I won't be long.'

xXx

It was quiet downstairs. Too quiet. Valkyrie stopped on the landing, wondering for a moment if she should go back and change into her protective work clothes instead of the dress, but decided that if anything untoward had happened, she'd have heard it even in her bedroom.

China was sitting primly on the edge of the sofa, her face unreadable. Skulduggery stood at the window, his back to China. The tension in the room made Valkyrie's temples throb. At least she didn't see blood anywhere.

'Valkyrie!' China exclaimed and stood up. 'You're looking lovely.'

'Thanks.' She felt a little self-conscious about her appearance, as usual when in China's presence. At least China didn't know it was the same dress she'd worn last night, too. 'Would you like something? Tea?'

China smiled. 'Tea sounds wonderful.'

Valkyrie cast a look at Skulduggery's back. Would he come to the kitchen with her? Was he even listening? 'Right. I'll be right back,' she said.

She'd already put the kettle on when she felt the air shift.

'You didn't tell me China was coming,' Skulduggery said. There was no accusation in his voice, although he sounded flatter than usual.

'I was going to.' She turned around and looked at him. 'Are you mad at me?'

He shook his head. 'I should have realised you'd invited her. You had every right to, and I did promise you that I would try to get along with her. It was just… It was harder than I thought it would be, seeing her again.'

She touched his cheekbone. 'I'm sorry. I really should have mentioned it.'

'I'll be fine. Really. Well, I'll be fine enough to be able to pretend to be fine, anyway. Also, you probably noticed that I didn't even punch her in the face.'

'I did. I'm very proud of you.' She could tell from his voice, from the way he held himself, how tense he was, but the lack of explosions gave her reason to trust he wouldn't do anything rash and terrible. 'Could you get me a cup and a saucer from that cupboard over there? I'd need to step on a stool to reach it.'

Skulduggery got out the fine porcelain. 'Any old mug would have been more than good enough for her,' he grumbled.

'Yes, but Gordon left me all these beautiful things, and I'm never going to use them on my own. Might as well get them out when I've got visitors who can appreciate them.'

'Is it good?' he asked her a moment later, when she was busy with the tea.

'Hmm? Is what good?'

'Tea.'

She blinked. 'You've never had it?'

He gave a slight shrug. 'I'd barely heard about it before I died. I knew there was some new and exotic drink in England that people were talking about, but it hadn't reached Ireland yet. So I never had the chance. It smells good.'

'It's good, yes.' She kept her eyes on the cup. Poor Skulduggery. She wondered how much he missed being human – being alive. Most of the time, he seemed to be fine with what he was, but sometimes… 'But not a great loss if you've never tried it. Most of us just drink it out of habit, I think.'

'Excellent. I'd hate to think I was missing out on something.' Skulduggery reached for the cup and saucer. 'I'll take them.'

'Are you sure?'

He tilted his head. 'I'm prepared now. I can handle it, if you're wondering about that.'

'Okay. Good.'

She followed him out of the kitchen, keeping an eye on his rigid back.

xXx

'So,' said Fletcher, his tone casual, 'are you seeing anyone these days?' His grip on the bottle of beer he was holding was tight, his knuckles white from the effort. He'd obviously spent a great deal of time getting ready for the party, although his hair looked considerably calmer than the last time she'd seen him.

Valkyrie felt her cheeks flush as her eyes searched out Skulduggery, who was busy talking to Erskine on the other side of the room.

Fletched followed her gaze. 'Ravel? The Grand Mage? Seriously?'

Valkyrie rolled her eyes. 'It's not Ravel.'

Fletcher stared at her. 'You're not… You can't mean… You do, don't you? Skulduggery? Seriously? _Skulduggery?_ Look, I know you two have always had a really close relationship – way too close, really, it always felt a bit creepy to me to be honest – but… Seriously?'

'Yeah. Seriously.'

'I guess I never had a chance, not really.'

She looked at him. 'No. No, I don't think you did. I didn't know it at the time, but… I'm sorry.'

'Are you sleeping with him?'

'That's really none of your business.'

'Are you?'

She felt a wisp of shadows starting to form, swirl around her fist, and took a deep breath. 'I think you should leave.'

Fletcher raised his hands. 'I'm sorry. I just… He's a dead man, Valkyrie. I just… I need some time to process this.'

'Take all the time you need.' She knew her voice was harsh, but she didn't care. 'Look… I want to stay friends with you. I really do. But you and I will never be boyfriend and girlfriend again. I need you to understand that.'

He shook his head. 'I used to think I knew you. That I understood you. But then you told me about Caelan and… I spent months trying to work through that, you know. To understand why you acted the way you did. And I thought – once I'd got over the anger and the hurt – that I did. That I understood. But I don't think I really get you at all.'

'There is a lot you don't know about me.'

'Yeah. I've noticed. I suppose _he_ does.'

'He does, yes. And he understands.' She hesitated. 'He knows _because_ he understands. He knows me better than anyone. I think he knows me better than I do, sometimes.'

Fletcher looked at her. 'Yeah, well, maybe I'd have understood you too if you'd ever actually talked to me.'

'Maybe. Maybe not. In any case, it hardly matters now.'

'To you.'

She acknowledged his barb with a sharp nod. 'To me.'

Fletcher took a swig from his bottle. 'Right. Anyway, I just popped over to wish you a happy birthday and to see… Well, doesn't matter now. I guess I'll be going, then.'

'I'm glad you could come.' She wished she hadn't invited him. If she'd known he was still hoping to get her back… At least they now knew where they stood, she supposed.

xXx

Valkyrie stood at the window, staring at nothing, when someone touched her shoulder.

'Are you OK?'

She smiled and leaned back. Skulduggery wrapped his arms around her.

'I'm fine. Just needed a moment away from the… Everything. The noise and the people.'

'I couldn't help but notice that Fletcher left rather abruptly.'

'Yeah.'

'It's not always easy for a young man to be turned down. He'll get over it and return some day, ready to be your friend again.'

'You're lying to make me feel better, aren't you?'

She felt him smile as he pulled her closer. 'I am. Did it work?'

'I think so.'

She relaxed against him, enjoying the moment of peace and calm. He never failed to make her happy, even if it didn't always last.

'Are you ready to go back yet? People might notice that you're gone.'

'That we're both gone, even.' Her lips twitched. 'Might as well, or they'll get ideas.'

xXx

There was something… wrong, about the way the air felt, when they approached the main living room. Skulduggery must have sensed it as well; he stopped well before reaching the open door and held out a hand, his head cocked, listening.

'Do you hear anything?' Valkyrie whispered.

He shook his head.

Silence. That was what worried Valkyrie. When she'd left the room earlier, needing a break, it had buzzed with noise, people happily chatting away. Now there was nothing. Again, she thought, remembering the frosty air between China and Skulduggery earlier, except that this, now, felt even worse.

She tried to reach out with her magic, but couldn't register anything apart from a general vibe of unease. Her ring wasn't any colder than usual; that was a relief.

Skulduggery gave her a slight nod and took out his gun. 'I'll cover you. Unless you'd like me to go first?'

'No, it's OK. I don't think we're under attack.'

'Too bad. I haven't punched anyone for weeks now.'

xXx

In spite of what she'd said to Skulduggery, Valkyrie's body was tense as she stepped into the room, ready to lash out with everything she had if it proved necessary. She had no idea what to expect. Knowing that Skulduggery was right behind her made her feel better, enough to enjoy the rush of adrenaline, but not enough to stop her from being wary.

The sight that greeted them was not what she'd expected.

Tanith was standing in the middle of the room, Sanguine at her side. A quick look at the wooden floor confirmed that was the way they'd made their in. Valkyrie made a mental note to herself to ask Skulduggery or Gordon later if the caves didn't reach this particular part of the house; if so, that was a security oversight she'd have to take care of. Sanguine being able to drop by whenever he – or Tanith – felt like it… That was not something she even wanted to think about.

So that was what that silence was all about; everyone was busy doing the same thing she was – standing and staring at the uninvited guests.

'Well, well, if it isn't the lovely Miss Cain.' Sanguine's drawl was lazy, but the lecherous smirk on his face was impossible to mistake. Valkyrie shuddered. 'And the great Skeleton Detective as well. If you'd be so kind and put away that gun.'

'I don't see why I should do that.' Skulduggery stepped to Valkyrie's side. 'The way I see it is that you've delivered us Tanith. Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you now, grab her and put her away somewhere safe until we've come up with a way to get rid of the Remnant?'

Sanguine shrugged. 'I'd be gone, takin' her with me, before you could as much as pull that trigger. And then you'd end up shootin' someone else here, whoever that poor bastard standin' over by that wall happens to be. Also, I ain't done nothin' wrong here, you know. The pretty lady next to me wanted to have a word with her good friend Valkyrie, wish her a happy birthday and all, so I agreed to take her here.'

Skulduggery considered this and put the gun away. 'I take your point. However, you're in a room surrounded by skilled sorcerers. The moment you try anything…'

Sanguine grinned and put up his hands. 'I ain't stupid.'

Valkyrie eyed the pair with suspicion. As always, seeing Tanith hurt, but she suppressed that feeling. It wouldn't help and she needed to keep her thoughts clear. Whatever Tanith was here for, it couldn't be anything good.

She spotted Ghastly from the corner of her eye. He was staring at Tanith, his face paler than usual. Even at a distance, Valkyrie could see the effort it took him to stay in control.

Valkyrie focused on Tanith, making sure that her voice would be steady. 'Why are you here?'

Tanith spread her arms. 'To wish you a happy birthday, of course. Also, a little bird told me you have been spotted walking around hand in hand with our favourite skeleton here, so I wanted to congratulate you on finally getting your act together and letting him know about your little crush. Or was it Skul who got tired of waiting and made the first move?'

A few of the people in the room looked shocked. Valkyrie found that surprising; they hadn't flaunted their relationship in public but they hadn't exactly been hiding it either. People must have been gossiping less than she thought.

'My relationship with Skulduggery doesn't concern you.'

Tanith laughed. 'But of course it concerns me. Everything about you concerns me. You're very important to me, you know, as is your state of mind and your happiness. I hope he's as good in bed as the word around town says he is. You look like you could do with having some fun, little sister.'

'Don't call me that.'

'Ooh, you're not denying it, are you? And what should I call you if not that, hmm?'

Valkyrie's eyes met Tanith's, and she knew with a sudden sickening clarity what Tanith was about to do. Well, she wasn't going to make it easy for her.

'Valkyrie will do. If you must call me anything. Anyway, you've said what you had to say. Unless you were planning to give yourself up and let us find a way to get our Tanith back, I'd rather you left now.'

Tanith bared her teeth in something approximating a smile. The Remnant in her wasn't even trying to hide the black lines criss-crossing her lips.

'Oh, I don't think so, little sister. I think I've waited long enough, don't you?'

She shrugged, determined to bluff until the end. Tanith might have her own ends in mind, and driving a wedge between Valkyrie and all her friends would certainly serve those ends, but would anyone here believe what the Remnant had to say?

'I have no idea what you're talking about.' There. Casual, uninterested, not knowing and not at all wanting to know what Tanith was saying.

She risked a glance at the people following the exchange with a range of emotions reflected on their faces, from unabashed curiosity to barely controlled disgust. China's face was unreadable, but her eyes were at Tanith and Valkyrie. Her gaze flicked at Valkyrie and their eyes met for a moment, enough to make Valkyrie swallow. Damn. China would know she was bluffing.

Skulduggery was still standing by her side, almost, but not quite, close enough to touch. She took comfort in his closeness, knowing that whatever happened, she would have at least one friend left.

'Oh, but you do, and so does lover boy, doesn't he?' The grin on Tanith's face broadened. Valkyrie had to breathe in deeply to avoid punching her. 'Always there, by your side, like a loyal doggie, the only one of your friends who knows your dirty little secret… I wonder why he hasn't told anyone, by the way. Is he really so blinded by his feelings towards you that he's willing to risk the world to keep you tied to him? And he's known for a while, hasn't he? Perhaps our good detective isn't as thoroughly on the side of the light as he'd like everyone to believe?'

'Go away, Tanith. I don't know what you're on about and frankly, I don't care.'

'I've grown bored with the waiting. I think it's time everyone knew just who you are.' Tanith looked around, a triumphant spark in her eyes. 'Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Darquesse.'


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Still not mine. Also, I'm going to be even busier than usual for the next few weeks, so I can't promise an update very soon. I'll do my best, but between work, health issues and the planned move, I won't necessarily have enough time or brain capacity left.

* * *

><p>Valkyrie was glad she'd guessed Tanith's intentions. At least she hoped that the few moments she'd had to prepare was enough to make her snort and raised eyebrows look convincing.<p>

'Yeah. Right. And you're the Mona Lisa, I assume.'

Tanith smirked. 'You know very well what I'm talking about, Darquesse. Why bother to hide it? Soon enough everyone will know anyway.'

Valkyrie glanced at Skulduggery. 'Do you have any idea what she's talking about?'

Skulduggery shrugged. 'None at all. I know Remnants are considered unstable as well as insane, but it seems this one has completely lost it. Must be all those people it has inhabited.' He tilted his head and looked at Tanith. 'How about just letting go of our friend? It's quite clear that you aren't all there any more anyway. Just listen to yourself.'

Tanith looked from one to the other, puzzled. 'But… you know I'm telling the truth. Valkyrie _is_ Darquesse. I know it. You know it.'

'Are you saying that Darquesse is my true name – or what?' Valkyrie hoped she sounded sufficiently confused. 'If that's so, and you've somehow found it out, although I have no idea how you could possibly have discovered it, then surely you should be able to command me just by calling me by that name? Or is it a name I'm going to adopt? I'm just not clear here what you're trying to say.'

'Of course it's your true name I'm talking about!' Tanith's eyes narrowed. 'Darquesse, I order you to tell the truth to all those lovely people here. Or better yet, I want to see a proper bloodbath. Rivers of blood. Oceans of blood!'

Valkyrie shook her head. 'You really have lost it. Also, if there's going to be any blood shed here tonight, it will be yours and your lover boy's here if you keep this nonsense up any longer.'

Tanith shook her head. Valkyrie could almost see her brain working things out. 'You've had it sealed, haven't you? Your name?'

Valkyrie glanced at the people who were staring at them. She couldn't really tell what they were thinking, whom they believed. Hopefully her, not the crazy Remnant – even if the crazy Remnant was speaking the truth and she was lying through her teeth.

'For the last time, I have no idea what you're on about.' She made sure to put enough frustration into her voice. 'Go away, Tanith. I have no desire to listen to this inane babble on my birthday. You've ruined the party as it is.'

'But…' Her voice was pleading now. 'But you're the one I'm meant to serve. You're the one who will bring about the end of the world.'

Skulduggery took a step closer to Tanith, his gun in his hand again. 'If you want to serve Valkyrie, I suggest you come with us now. We'll take care of you.'

Tanith laughed; a harsh, cold sound. 'It's not going to be that easy, skeleton.' She looked around wildly. 'You – all of you – may not believe me now, but you _will_ regret it once the truth comes out. And then…'

Valkyrie couldn't tell if she meant to finish that threat or not, as Sanguine chose that moment to put an arm around Tanith and together, they disappeared into the floor.

xXx

The guests left soon after. Valkyrie saw Ghastly pull Skulduggery aside and exchange a few words before he departed. Gordon hovered in a corner, his Echo Stone still on a side table. Valkyrie looked at her uncle, not wanting to say anything quite yet.

She'd asked China to stay. The house needed protection. The idea of Sanguine being able to come and go as he pleased, whether anyone was in or not… Valkyrie shivered.

'Of course,' China said. 'It will take some time to do it properly as I will need to consult a book or two, but basic protection is easy. I can do that tonight. It should be enough to keep Sanguine, or any other attacks from below, away – not permanently but long enough that I can do the rest later.'

Skulduggery's fingers found hers as they stood in silence and watched China work. Valkyrie was exhausted; how had things come to this? It had been something she'd worried about at first, after that dreadful night at MacGillicuddy's Reeks, after realising that Tanith – no, the Remnant in control of Tanith – was aware of what she was and what she could do. She'd expected the truth about her dark side to be out soon. But then… Tanith had shown no indication about wanting to out her, and after a while, she'd stopped worrying about it. As far as she was concerned, the only one who knew, apart from herself – and whose knowledge mattered – was Skulduggery.

But now… She could only hope that the people present had bought her lies over the Remnant's truth.

China straightened, having drawn the last of the symbols on the floor. 'If Sanguine tries again, he'll be in for a surprise,' she said with a smile. 'However, before I go and leave the two of you alone, I would like to discuss your former friend's statement. It was, after all, rather bold.'

Valkyrie sighed. China knew. China _knew_. She was certain of it. China _knew_ that she'd known in advance what Tanith was going to say. If only she hadn't caught her eye at the time, she might have tried to bluff her way out of it, even if China, a true master of bluffing and lies as she was, would have been nearly impossible to convince.

China smiled at them. 'Don't bother denying it,' she said, as much to Skulduggery as to Valkyrie. 'I find it fascinating how you've managed to keep it a secret this far – because, I assume, you've both known for a while now, haven't you?'

'Yes.' Valkyrie didn't know what else to say. 'We've been trying to make sure that the visions won't happen. Skulduggery keeps telling me that the future isn't set in stone.'

'And I'm right, of course.' She could hear the conviction in his voice. If he was lying, it was a lie she desperately wanted to believe. 'The visions – I don't like them any more than anyone else does, apart from dear deranged Tanith, perhaps, but they're only visions of a _possible_ future. It doesn't have to happen.'

'Who else knows?' China asked. Her gaze flicked to Gordon, who had stayed uncharacteristically quiet ever since Tanith's declaration.

'Apart from me and Skulduggery? Uncle Gordon. Tanith. Sanguine, I assume – I would expect him to believe Tanith. Possibly Nye; I never told it, but…'

'You had Nye seal your true name.'

Valkyrie swallowed. 'Yes.'

China's eyebrows went up. She turned to Skulduggery. 'I'm surprised you let her do that. Nye, of all the possible options…'

Skulduggery shrugged. 'She didn't ask for my permission. She only told me after she'd had it done.'

'And it's not like I _had_ options,' Valkyrie said defensively. 'I couldn't go to Kenspeckle, not with this. I couldn't tell anyone. Anyone but Uncle Gordon, and he gave me some pointers.'

'I didn't actually suggest that she go to Nye,' Gordon interrupted from his corner. 'If I had known that would happen – I had heard of Nye, you know! – I might have kept my mouth shut. But Valkyrie asked for help, so I told her what I knew, told her whom to contact and ask about it; the rest was all her own doing.'

'You were very lucky,' China said.

'I'm not sure luck had a lot to do with it,' Valkyrie muttered. 'I threatened to break its bones if it didn't release me. I know what everyone thinks about Necromancy, but believe me, it's a handy skill to have when you're dead.'

China smiled. 'I'm sure it is. So it's the two of you, our murderous sometimes-friendly couple, Gordon, Nye and me who know for certain. And a room full of people who may or may not have believed you. As they're all your friends, and don't want to think about lovely Valkyrie Cain one day eviscerating them all in cold blood, they are probably inclined to believe the best of you.'

'I think Ghastly suspects,' Skulduggery said. 'I have a feeling he's going to ask me directly tomorrow and I won't be able to lie to him. Well, I could certainly try, of course, but he's likely to see right through me.'

'You're probably right. It's not that difficult, you know.' China's lips twitched. 'To see right through you.'

Valkyrie snorted. 'Especially when you're not wearing a shirt.'

'Speaking of that,' China said, 'I gather the two of you are finally together.' There was a definite note of wistfulness in her voice, which made Valkyrie feel awkward.

'Yes.'

'Congratulations.'

'Thanks.' She took a deep breath, aware of Skulduggery's tenseness beside her. 'Anyway… About that Darquesse thing.'

'You'd prefer it if I kept it to myself.'

'Valkyrie may be Darquesse,' Skulduggery said, 'but that's only a name. Potential. Unlike you and me, who should be locked up and rot in an underground Sanctuary cell somewhere, she hasn't actually committed any crimes. She may be the one to destroy the world – or not. And based on what we know – what we've learned from the visions – it wouldn't be wise to anger her. To make Darquesse emerge.'

'I take it that this is what the two of you have been working on lately. Keeping Valkyrie happy, not giving her a reason to want to bring about Armageddon.'

Valkyrie cleared her throat. She wasn't sure she liked it, when put like that. It wasn't why Skulduggery had agreed to her advances with relatively little resistance, was it? It couldn't have been.

'If you're implying that I've chosen to be with Valkyrie just because I know about Darquesse, you're mistaken.'

'Not at all.' She smiled again, and this time Valkyrie felt her knees go weak. Just how did China do that, anyway? 'It's getting late and I should leave. I realise you may not believe it – you might, Valkyrie, but I know Skulduggery here doesn't trust me, and with good reason – but I have no intention to betray your secret. Just one thing, before I go… How _do_ you know it's true? And how do you know that keeping Valkyrie happy will prevent her from turning into Darquesse?'

Valkyrie exchanged a look with Skulduggery. How much should they say? Could they actually trust China? She thought they could, but she knew Skulduggery would disagree, and she couldn't blame him for that.

'It's complicated,' she offered after a few moments. 'We know, though.'

'Very well. I will have to trust you know what's best, I see. As I said, your secret _is_ safe with me. I have no desire to see the world end any time soon, after all.'

xXx

'Are you staying here tonight?' Valkyrie asked Skulduggery. She'd tucked Gordon's Echo Stone safely away in his secret study after China had left, so they were alone again.

'I don't really have anywhere else I need to be, so I was going to. Unless you'd rather be alone?'

'God, no. I was hoping you'd stay. After everything that happened today…' She let out a sigh and rubbed her forehead. 'You don't get headaches, do you?'

'Not unless someone punches me in the face. That tends to hurt.'

'You're so lucky.'

He looked at her, his head tilted. 'Can I get you anything? Tea? Painkillers? Back rub?'

'Hmm. I think I can do without painkillers, but tea and a back rub both sound good.'

'One tea coming up.' His eye sockets were full of concern. 'Maybe you should go to bed, lie down for a bit. I'll bring the tea up when it's done.'

'OK. Don't forget the sugar.'

'Have I ever?'

'Once, I think. But then again that was right after the Sanctuary blew up, so you were probably distracted. And yes, I know you're never distracted, but it was only a few days after I got you away from the Faceless Ones.'

'I _may_ have been slightly distracted at the time.'

'The great Skulduggery Pleasant, admitting to a fault… I never thought this day would come.'

'It happens. I wouldn't get too used to it.'

She grinned, even though her heart was still heavy. She didn't want to think about tomorrow, or next week in general, having to face her friends and wonder what they thought about her now. She also didn't want to think about having to tell her father the truth – or some of it, anyway.

'I'll get to bed. Don't take too long with that tea.'

xXx

Skulduggery carried her tea in one hand and something looking a lot like a large, fluffy robe in the other. 'Gordon's,' he said when Valkyrie looked at it questioningly. 'I thought it might be an idea to wear something else than the tux to bed.'

She took the tea from him. 'Who said you'd need to wear anything at all?'

'I didn't want to assume.' He sat down on the edge of the bed. 'You know that I'll also be here if you just wish to talk and have someone to snuggle with, don't you? That is also the purpose of the robe, by the way; it's softer to snuggle with than just me.'

'I don't mind.' She took a sip of her tea. 'Yum. Nice and sweet and hot. Anyway, if you just want to snuggle, then I'm fine with that. I wouldn't really want to put any pressure on you, make you do something just to keep me happy.'

'I like keeping you happy.' His voice was impossibly gentle. 'And it's not just because I want to keep Darquesse at bay. You know that, don't you? Not that I think you would turn into a mass-murderer bent on destroying the world just because I won't sleep with you – I know I'm a great catch, but even I don't think I'm _that_ awesome.'

'Not that we really know yet what triggers her.' Valkyrie sighed. 'Well, we know that someone poking around in my brain does. Or being literally a heartbeat away from death, like when I asked Melancholia to kill me. But anything else… What is going to bring her out again, I wonder? Something will. I just wish I knew; maybe I could keep her from emerging if I was prepared for that in advance.'

'I don't know.' He was quiet for a moment. 'My theory is that the more often she emerges, the easier it will be for her to break down those barriers which are currently keeping her blocked away. But I really don't know. I can't even lean on my own experiences here, as Lord Vile was – is – a part of me that I've always been able to release on purpose, knowingly and deliberately. It's not the triggering that has ever been an issue for me; it's stopping him that's the difficult part. Although I've found that a small part of me, the rest of me, has remained conscious and with some effort, I've managed to pull him back eventually. So far.'

'Do you think I could learn to get Darquesse under control?'

'I don't know that either. From what I could tell, it has seemed to me that each time Darquesse has come out to play, she's withdrawn on her own, am I right?'

'Yes.' She stared at her tea, swirled it around in the mug. 'I've been more aware each time, compared to the very first time Darquesse came out, when the Remnant was there – I barely remembered anything that day. Since then, I've actually had some idea of what has been going on, although I've been powerless – haven't been able to do anything to make Darquesse go away again.'

He nodded. 'As I thought. That makes things complicated, although you being aware of what's happening is a good sign. In theory. You _should_ be able to stop her – to banish her, to take charge again, although it's not an easy task. And it's not something I'd like to put to test. If I thought for certain that it would work, we could practice, somewhere remote and reasonably safe, to make sure no one got hurt, but… As it is, I'd rather not try to find out how you can trigger Darquesse, only to see if you can make her go away again.'

'I know.' She massaged her temples with one hand. 'About that back rub you promised…'

He laughed. 'Turn around. And maybe you should put that mug down first, unless you want to spill tea all over the bed.'

She pulled her football jersey off over her head and turned her back towards him; embarrassment over Skulduggery seeing her topless was still there but it passed in a moment.

For a man who hadn't had any flesh, never mind any muscles for a few hundred years, he certainly knew how to rub them just right. Valkyrie closed her eyes and relaxed for the first time today.

'This is nice,' she murmured a few minutes later.

'Mm. I'm glad you approve.'

'You could make a lot of money with this.'

'Do you think so? Perhaps I should consider it. Skulduggery Pleasant, detective and masseur. I could put up a large banner on my house, perhaps some classified ads in the newspaper.'

'I might get jealous if your business went too well, though. All those women, melting under your touch.'

He bent his skull closer to her ear and whispered, 'Melting, you say?'

'Boneless. You've turned my bones into mush. It's that skeleton thing, isn't it? You can have bones but others cannot?'

His teeth grazed the edge of her ear. 'Well, if you put it like that… Maybe I can show you some more ways in which I can make you all relaxed?'

She turned around, facing him. 'I'd like that.'

'Your tea is getting cold, though.'

'Screw the tea.'

'I'd rather not. It's messy.'

Valkyrie rolled her eyes but she couldn't keep herself from grinning. 'Thanks. For being so silly. You're still too dressed, though.'

'Am I? Well, we should do something about it then, shouldn't we?'

'I think we should, yes.'


End file.
